Silver and Gold
by Fae'sFlower
Summary: Sequel to 'Seeing the Light'. "Fae, don't worry. We'll be together forever and ever. I promise." She hoped he was right. Boy, was he wrong… AU Fiyeraba
1. Secrets

**Well, here it is, everyone! The sequel to 'Seeing the Light'. It might be a little darker, depending on how I decide to write it.**

**Disclaimer: I own the laptop used to type this story and this story idea. Yeah… um… I don't own Wicked… at all… whatsoever… not even a little bit. So um… yeah. If I did… you know what? Let's not even go there. I don't have the time to cry. I'm too busy lovin' MY NAME UP ON THAT LIST! (Sorry, Legally Blonde reference. What? I'm one of the Queens of Referencing (I'mFlyingHighDefyingGravity aka Sydney is the other one)) I have a story to type!**

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><p>Life in the Vinkus couldn't be better. Lanie, now fifteen years old, was growing into the young lady everyone knew she would be. The warm climate meant that she could spend a lot of time outside, which she did. She spent most of her time in the gardens, picking flowers or reading under a tree. Though she enjoyed the peace and quiet, she was very lonely. She didn't have any friends. Her parents were very overprotective of her and they wouldn't tell her why. No one would. She wasn't allowed to leave the castle grounds and go into the Elderwith Forest. Even though she enjoyed spending a lot of time with her family, she longed for a friend. Someone to share her secrets to. Someone who would really listen to her when she told them something of great importance to her.<p>

"Yero, I'm worried about her," Elphaba said over tea one afternoon.

"Why?" Fiyero asked.

"What if the rumors are true? We can't take any risks."

"Fae, those are only rumors."

"I know, but what if –"

"Elphaba," Fiyero said, setting down his teacup and sitting down next to Elphaba on the couch. "Everything will be alright."

"Why do you always say that?"

"Say what?"

"Say that everything will be alright. Yero, we can't control the future." Elphaba was near tears. Fiyero sighed. He hated it when Elphaba cried.

"Fae –"

"Stop!" Elphaba cried, lowering her head, not even bothering to turn towards Fiyero's voice. "You don't have to sugarcoat anything anymore. I'm not a child."

"Fae –"

"And neither is Lanie."

"Fae –"

"She's going to get sick and tired of us keeping her cooped up inside this castle and –"

"Fae," Fiyero quickly cut her off. "Do you ever let anyone else talk?"

Elphaba fell silent. "No. Sorry."

Fiyero smiled. "Thank you. Fae, we're taking all of the necessary precautions. Rumors are just rumors. There's no guarantee that anything will happen."

"I know," Elphaba whispered, leaning her head against Fiyero's chest. "I just…"

"What?"

"I don't know. I just have a really bad feeling about this. What if…"

"Fae, stop. You're going to get yourself all worked up."

Elphaba scrunched up her nose, hating when Fiyero babied her.

"You don't want me to tell Galinda you're scrunching up her nose like that, now, do you?"

Elphaba sighed. As Galinda put it:

"Elphie, when you wrinkle up your nose like that, it creates wrinkles. Wrinkles take _forever_ to get rid of, even with the best cream. Don't make me bring out the wrinkle cream!"

"Alright," Elphaba said as she unwrinkled her nose.

"That's better," Fiyero smiled, kissing her nose.

Lanie was walking by on her way outside. She knew she wasn't supposed to go into the forest, but she was tired of being cooped up in the house like a small child. She thought if she pretended she was going into the kitchen, her parents wouldn't question her. She was almost at the door when…

"Lanie?"

Sighing, Lanie turned around. Standing behind her were her parents, both with questioning looks on their faces.

"Yes?" she asked, trying to keep the edge out of her voice.

"Where are you going?" Fiyero asked.

"Outside."

"Outside where?" Elphaba asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Just outside, Mama," Lanie lied, slowly sliding closer to the door with each passing second. "Into the gardens."

"O-Okay," Elphaba said, deciding that it was alright. "Just… stay on the castle grounds. And don't go into the forest."

Lanie nodded and quickly slipped out the door. Elphaba made to follow her, but Fiyero pulled her back.

"Fae, let her go."

"Yero, I can't –"

"We're going to have to learn how to trust her."

"I trust her. I just… she's a teenager, Yero. Teenagers make mistakes. I just don't want her to make a mistake that we can't fix and that could have been avoided from the start."

Fiyero slowly shook his head. He knew his wife was right. Khylana was a teenager. She was becoming distant and modified and it was really worrying him. "Okay," he whispered, not wanting to get into a full-blown argument with Elphaba. He was never any good at winning those.

Lanie quickly sprinted through the gardens into the forest. She stopped when she came across a large rock.

"Lanie, is that you?" a voice asked from behind the rock.

"Yes, it's me," Khylana whispered back.

A tall boy Khylana's age peaked his head out from over the rock. A genuine smile appeared on his face when he saw the girl. "I've missed you."

"I'm sorry. My parents are constantly on my back. It's like they don't trust me or something," Khylana said, sitting down next to the boy. "How have you been, Arlis?"

"The same," Arlis shrugged.

Lanie nodded knowingly and held his hand. She slowly traced over the scar running from the middle of his hand to his upper wrist. "How did you get that?" she asked, looking into Arlis' brown eyes.

Arlis simply shook his head, not wanting to answer her question. She let the subject drop as she snuggled closer to Arlis.

"So…" she whispered.

"So…" he whispered back.

"We've known each other for almost six months now."

"Yup."

"And you still haven't told me anything about yourself."

"There's nothing to say," Arlis whispered, his gaze on the ground. "Though, I would like to know more about you."

Khylana giggled. No one had ever shown such interest in her before. "Okay. What would you like to know?"

"Well, your mother is blind, right?"

Khylana nodded slowly. "Yes, she is. But when you first meet her, you wouldn't know. She's really good at looking in people's directions when she speaks to them and knows where everything is and knows where she going."

Arlis nodded. "How many of your family members live at the castle with you?"

"Well, there's me, my mother, my father, my grandparents, my aunt and my godmother. So, that's seven of us. Now, I would really like to know where you're from."

"I travel a lot, so I don't really have a definite home. My parents died when I was really small and…" Arlis trailed off, tears quickly forming in his eyes.

Khylana kissed Arlis' cheek, comforting him. "Arlie," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," Arlis sniffed. "It happened a long time ago."

The two teenagers sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company. Khylana leaned her head against Arlis' shoulder. Arlis smiled, pulling Khylana closer to him. Khylana took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them an hour later, the sun was shinning high in the sky.

"Arlie," she whispered, shaking the boy next to her awake.

"Hmm?" Arlis muttered, slowly opening his eyes.

"Do you wanna go for a swim?"

Arlis sat up and smiled. "Sure." He stood up and helped Khylana to her feet. Giggling, they ran towards the pond. Kicking off their shoes, Arlis was the first one in the pond. Jumping as high as he could and hugging his knees to his chest, he cannonballed into the pond, creating a large splash. Lanie stick her feet in, not wanting to get her dress wet. She didn't know how she would explain to her mother why she was soaking wet.

"You're not coming in?" Arlis asked, resurfacing for air.

Lanie shook her head. "I can't get wet."

"Why not?"

"My mother doesn't know I go into the forest. I-I'm not supposed to be here right now… with you… in the forest… all alone…"

"I thought you said she's blind?"

"She is, but she still has her other senses. And they're really accurate and sharp. I can't take any risks."

"Oh," Arlis said as he climbed out of the pool. "I guess that means I can't give you a goodbye hug."

Lanie put her shoes back on and ran to give Arlis a hug. Arlis quickly recovered from the initial shock and hugged her back.

"You'll be able to play this one off?" he asked.

"I'll think of something," Lanie whispered, kissing his cheek and running out of the forest.

When she returned to the castle, she slipped in through the front door. Turning around to close it behind her, she took a deep breath.

"Where were you?"

Lanie jumped and turned around. She saw her mother standing there, her arms crossed over her chest. Her jaw was set and she didn't look happy.

"I just went outside," Lanie said, shaking under her mother's hard gaze.

"Lanie, you were out there more than an hour. I was calling you. Where did you go?"

"I was taking a nap," Lanie said. She was trying to stay as close to the truth as possible without giving away where she was.

Elphaba opened her mother to saw something, but she closed it again. She slowly relaxed. "Okay," she whispered. "I just- wait! What's that smell?"

_Ozdangit!_ Lanie thought, mentally face palming. She knew she shouldn't have given Arlis a hug.

"Lanie, what is that smell?" Elphaba asked, walking towards her daughter.

"I was sitting in the grass and some of the dew rubbed off on me."

"Lanie, dew doesn't smell like pond water. I'm going to ask you one more time, where. Did. You. Go?" Elphaba asked, her voice dangerously low.

"Mama, I told you. I just went outside. Nothing happened and I'm fine."

Elphaba's eyes narrowed as her gaze hardened. She knew her daughter was lying to her. "Don't lie to me," she hissed.

"I'm not lying!" Lanie lied. "I just went outside. I fell asleep and that's why some of the dew rubbed off on me. I have no idea why it smells like pond water."

"What's going on out here?" Fiyero asked, coming out of the parlor and wrapping his arm around Elphaba's waist.

"Nothing," Lanie whispered as she ran up the stairs.

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><p><strong>Just for reference, Arlie is pronounced with a long 'e'. Reviews please?<strong>


	2. Magic

**Thank you all for your lovely responses!**

**Elphaba'sGirl: All in due time.**

**TheWickedrae: Lanie told me to update. Here you go!**

**ExoticPeachBlossom: Elphaba is very overprotective, but for a very good reason.**

**Ultimate Queen of Cliffies: Why don't you trust him? And to answer you review in 'Seeing the Light', I'm still taking notes from YOU and ExoticPeachBlossom. Let's just leave it at that… shall we? MWAHAHAHA!**

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><p>Fiyero followed Lanie up the stairs to see what was wrong. He usually didn't want to get in the way when his daughter and wife clashed, which happened more times than anyone wanted to mention.<p>

"Lanie?" he whispered, slowly opening the door.

Lanie was sitting on her bed, clutching her pillow close to her chest. Tears were still streaming down her face as she whimpered.

"Oh, Lanie," Fiyero whispered, sitting down on the bed next to his daughter. "What happened?"

"M-Mama d-d-doesn't trust me!" Lanie sobbed. "Why can't I go outside the castle walls? Why can't I go into the forest? Why can't I have friends and a normal life?!"

"Shh," Fiyero whispered, rocking Lanie in his arms as he kissed away her tears. He couldn't tell her about the rumors. It was too risky. He felt bad for the way things were, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Papa, tell me," Lanie begged.

"Mama's just…" Fiyero searched his brain for a plausible excuse. "She… she just doesn't want you to grow up too fast." That sounded like it should do it.

"But I'm a teenager now! I'm not a baby anymore. I don't need her always hanging over my shoulder."

"I know, sweetie. I know," Fiyero whispered, kissing away her last tear. Lanie looked up into her father's eyes. Fiyero bit his lip, trying not to cry at how much hurt, confusing and pain was hidden away in her eyes. "I'll talk to Mama."

"Thank you," Lanie whispered as her father hugged her and left the room.

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><p>Lanie groaned when she heard something hitting her window. Forcing her eyes open, she realized that it was still dark out. It was the middle of the night, not her ideal wake-up time. When the noises didn't stop, she pushed her covers from her body and slowly walked towards her window. Pushing the curtains aside and opening the window, she looked down and saw Arlis standing outside.<p>

"You're such an idiot," Lanie said plainly.

"I know, but I'm _your_ idiot," Arlis smiled.

"What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night, when most people would like to still be _asleep_."

"I came to see you."

"Other than the obvious."

"I was wondering if you wanted to come with me into the forest."

"Repeating what I said before; you're such an idiot. It's still dark outside."

"Please?" Arlis pleaded, extending his hand to the princess.

Lanie rolled her eyes and reached for the vine handing outside her bedroom window. Grasping it, she climbed out of her window and down the wall. Arlis met her with a giant smile and they walked into the forest together.

The two teenagers had a wonderful time that night. Lanie didn't realize how long she was there until she opened her eyes and the sun was shinning and she wasn't in her bed. She was lying on the dirty forest floor, securely wrapped in Arlis' arms.

"Arlie?" she whispered, shaking the boy awake. Arlis muttered something under his breath and kept his eyes closed. "Arlie?" Lanie tried again, shaking his arm harder this time. After a while, Arlis' eyes slowly fluttered open and he gazed at Lanie.

"What time is it?" he muttered.

"Time for me to go," Lanie said as she squirmed out of his arms.

"No! Stay, please," Arlis begged.

"I'm sorry. I can't. My parents' would go insane if I wasn't in bed when they woke me up. They know me well enough to know that I sleep in until someone wakes me up. My mom says I get it from my dad, put quite frankly, I don't see it. He's the early bird of the family.

Arlis nodded and allowed Lanie to stand up. He saw her conjure up a lavender-colored, sparkly ball of light and watched with curiosity as she began to scrub her face, arms and legs with it.

"What is that?" he asked.

Lanie looked up. "Oh, it's just a simple spell I learned from reading the Grimmerie. I don't want to go back home smelling like the outdoors, so this make me smell like lavender."

"You have magical abilities?"

Lanie nodded. "Yeah."

"What's the Grimmerie?"

"It's an old book of spells. My mom has it, though I don't know why. She says it's to make sure it stays safe or something."

"Safe from what?"

"That's what I don't know. Anyway, last night was really fun and, um… yeah," Lanie chuckled before running out of the forest back to the castle.

Arlis smiled. This was easier than he thought.

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><p>Elphaba was walking down the hallway, sliding her hand against the wall as she walked to Lanie's room to wake her up.<p>

"Lanie?" she asked, slowly opening the door. "It's time to get up now." Not hearing her daughter, Elphaba entered the room and walked towards the bed. "Lanie?" She stretched out her hand until her fingertips grazed the blanket. Her eyes widened as she discovered what was going on; Lanie was gone. "No," she whispered, frantically turning her head. "Lanie! Lanie, where are you?"

Lanie was out of breath when she reached the castle. Grabbing the vine, she climbed back up the wall.

"Fiyero! Fiyero!" Elphaba shouted, her voice rising into hysterics.

Lanie froze. Her mother was in her room, looking for her. Regretting staying in the forest all night, she closed her eyes. She knew she wasn't going to make it out of this mess-up alive.

"Fae, what is it?" Fiyero asked, rubbing his eyes as he ran into the room.

"Lanie's missing!" Elphaba cried as she felt Fiyero wrap his arms around her.

"Fae," Fiyero whispered, rocking Elphaba in his arms. "Everything's –"

"Don't you _dare_ say that everything's going to be alright!" Elphaba snapped, pushing away from Fiyero. She hung her head and she wrapped her arms around her abdomen. "If anything happens to her…"

"Elphaba," Fiyero whispered, stopping Elphaba with a kiss. "Let's go search around the castle before we start to panic."

Elphaba slowly nodded and Fiyero led her out of the room. Once she sensed her parents were gone, Lanie resumed her climb up the wall to her room. Climbing in the window, she let out a small sigh. When her parents found her, she would be in _so_ much trouble.

Deciding that she looked presentable and smelt nice, she leaned her head against the window, trying to catch her breath.

"Lanie, there you are!"

Lanie jumped. Her parents really needed to stop sneaking up on her like that. Turning around, she saw her father with a relieved look on his face, while her mother looked murderous. Very, _very_ murderous.

Fiyero ran into the room and wrapped Lanie in a hug. Elphaba stood in the doorway, her glare growing harder and harder by the second.

"We were worried sick about you!" Fiyero cried, tightening his grip around Lanie.

"Mmhmm," Lanie said, struggling for air. "Air!" she managed to choke out.

"Sorry," Fiyero said sheepishly, loosening his grip on her.

"Where were you?" Elphaba asked. If her glare had gotten any harder, she would have been a rock.

"Nowhere," Lanie said.

"No! You're not going to lie anymore. You're going to tell your father and I exactly where you went!" Elphaba snapped.

"Fae, please," Fiyero sighed.

"No, Yero! Lanie, where were you this morning?" Elphaba asked, her eyes looking right at Lanie, making the teenager shiver.

"Outside," Lanie whispered.

"Outside where?" Elphaba asked.

Fiyero's sighed as he sensed another one of Elphaba's magic outbursts coming on. The last thing he needed was for her to blast the entire Vinkus off the map of Oz. "Fae…"

Elphaba ignored her husband as she waited for her daughter's answer. "Lanie, w- wait! Why do you smell like… lavender?"

Lanie bit her lip. Why didn't she think her plans through? "I… I…"

Elphaba's eyes widened as she realized what had happened. Lanie used the perfume spell to cover up her real scent. "You went into the forest, didn't you? Didn't you!?"

Lanie stepped back. Never, in all her life, had she seen her mother this angry. Sure, they had their mother-daughter fights, but Elphaba never got this mad. "Mama, I…"  
>"DIDN'T YOU!?" Elphaba shouted. Fiyero had to pull her back to stop her from charging at Lanie. Elphaba's blood was over-boiling and Fiyero knew he couldn't hold on to her forever.<p>

"Shh, mon ange. Calm down. Just breathe. There's nothing to worry about," Fiyero whispered to her.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Elphaba shouted, pushing Fiyero away, causing the prince to fall on his rear end. It would have been quite funny, if not for the circumstances. "Lanie, answer me!"

"Yes! Okay? Yes! I went out into the forest," Lanie said, tired of her mother always on her case.

Elphaba went from blood over-boiling mad to raging hot spicy peppers mad.

"Lanie, why were you in the forest?" Fiyero asked, deciding it was time for him to step in before it was too late. He rose to his full height and looked at Lanie.

"I went to meet someone," Lanie said, her eyes locking with Elphaba's.

"Who?" Fiyero asked calmly.

"A boy."

"A _boy_?" Elphaba questioned, raising her eyebrow.

Galinda popped her head in when she heard the word 'boy'. She saw Elphaba and Lanie in the middle of a heated argument. Exchanging glances with Fiyero, she quietly slipped out.

"Why were you meeting a boy in the forest?" Elphaba asked, all types of scenarios running in and out of her brain.

"He's just a friend," Lanie said.

"What's his name?" Fiyero asked, his voice remaining calm.

"Arlis."

"Why were you meeting him in the forest?"

"Because you won't let me invite anyone over here! Because you won't let me have any friends. I'm sick and tired of staying cooped up in this castle all day long with no one to talk to. Why can't I go outside?"

"I don't want you to see him anymore," Elphaba whispered, her voice hard and cold.

Lanie's face dropped. "Why not?"

"It's too dangerous."

"But he's my only friend. He hasn't done anything to hurt me and he never will."

"You deliberately disobeyed me. My decision is final. You are never to set foot into the forest again. You are to remain inside the castle where someone can always see you."

"Mama, no! Please!"

"No, Khylana. It's dangerous out there. You don't know who people really are, what they're like and what they will do. You can't just go around trusting people like this."

"Arlis is sweet and he would never do anything to harm me!"

"How long have you known him?"

"Six months," Lanie answered, then realized her mistake. That's six months worth of sneaking out of the house and lying about it.

"Six months," Elphaba repeated to herself. "So all this time, you were lying to both your father and I about your whereabouts?"

It was Fiyero's turn to look displeased. He hated it as much as Elphaba did when Lanie lied to them. Though he was more understanding than she was, he still hated it.

"Yero, talk to the General Vanadium. Since Lanie can no longer be trusted, we need to make sure she stays out of the forest," Elphaba said, turning towards Fiyero.

"Fae, are you sure this is such a good idea?" Fiyero asked, fearing that this would make everything worse.

"I'm positive. Tell him to send a soldier at each of the points on the castle grounds to make sure Lanie doesn't leave."

"Mama!" Lanie gasped, shocked. She didn't need to be treated like a child.

Elphaba held up her hand to silence her. She turned around, her glare not loosing its hardness. "No, Khylana. You have proven to me that you can't be trusted."

"But, Mama –"

"NO!"

Lanie balled her fingers into a fist, her whole body shaking. She couldn't believe her mother was doing this to her. All she wanted was a friend. "I HATE YOU!" she shouted as she ran out of her room, roughly brushing past her mother and dissolving into a fit of sobs.

"Lanie, get back here right now and apologize to your mother!" Fiyero shouted down the hallway.

"No, let her stay mad. It's not going to do her any good. My decision is still final," Elphaba said, trying to stop the tears from forming in her eyes.

"Mon ange," Fiyero whispered, quickly collecting Elphaba in his arms.

Elphaba pulled away. "Yero, talk to General Vanadium and tell him what I said. Please?"

Fiyero nodded. "Are you sure?"

"If you question me one more time…"

"Okay, okay! I'm going," Fiyero said as he hurried out of the room.

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><p>"What is wrong with you, boy?" a gruff voice asked.<p>

Arlis kept his gaze on the ground, not wanting to answer the question.

"You're supposed to lure the princess in, not fall in love with her and invite her to the prom!"

"I didn't say anything about the prom," Arlis defended himself.

"Remember your job, boy. Or do I have to remind you of the consequences?"

"No."

"No, what?"

"No, sir."

"No, sir what?"

"No, sir, General Actinium."

"Actinium, please don't be so hard on the boy. He's just a teenager," another male voice said.

"A teenager who needs to remember his place in this operation, Osmium," General Actinium said.

"When will our plan take action?" another general, Tantalum, asked.

"Well, we are attacking the Vinkus first. They have what we want. We must know more. Arlis, have you anything to report?" the final general, Polonium, asked, looking at the boy.

"There are seven of them living in the castle. The future queen, the green one, is blind and the young princess has magical abilities."

"Did she show them to you?"

"She did."

"See? The boy is useful," Polonium said, looking around the table at the other generals.

"Very well. You have done a good job, Arlis. You're dismissed," Actinium said.

Arlis bowed and exited. A knot formed in his throat and he quickly gulped it down. He didn't tell the generals about the Grimmerie. He had already betrayed Lanie's trust.

_I'm so sorry, Lanie_, he thought as he walked out of the meeting room.

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><p><strong>FIRST NIA OF THE STORY: Where did I get the generals' names from? One-shot with the prompt of your choice to the first person who guesses it correctly.<strong>

**Favorite lines anyone?**


	3. Hate

**Hello, everyone! Now, about the first Nia, congratulations to Elphaba'sGirl, The Wizard Of Wicked and woodland59 for guessing correctly, but ****Elphaba'sGirl**** was first, therefore, she is the winner of the one-shot prompt choice. CONGRATULATIONS! The names of the generals are elements on the Periodic Table. What? I take Chemistry in school this year. What did you expect?**

**I'mFlyingHighDefyingGravity: You don't want an angry Elphaba on your case, especially if you're her daughter.**

**Ultimate Queen of Cliffies: Hmm… a Hans? Yes, I believe I am. And yes, I'm mean. I'm very, very mean. I'm the Wicked Queen of Referencing. That's my new nickname!**

**From now on, you all may call me 'Your Majesty'. BOW DOWN BEFORE THE QUEEN! Go on, do it! Also, I changed my profile pic, since I'm now a Queen.**

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><p>"Are you sure about this, Your Highness?" General Vanadium asked Fiyero as they walked down the hallway.<p>

Fiyero took a deep breath. "Yes. We must protect Lanie, no matter what the costs. She's my daughter, General. I can't let anything happen to her. I would never be able to forgive myself. And neither would my wife."

"Understood, Your Highness. Consider it done," Vanadium bowed, hurrying down the hallway to carry out the Crowned Prince's request.

"Yero?" Elphaba whispered, standing in the doorway of their room.

Fiyero walked over to his wife and pulled her into his arms. "Hi."

"Yero –"

"Don't worry, Fae. Everything's fine. I just spoke with General Vanadium. He's carrying out the orders right now."

"I heard," Elphaba nodded. "I just wanted to know if you've seen Lanie."

"EEP!" a voice shrieked, causing Elphaba to jump and stiffen in Fiyero's arms. Galinda ran down the hall, a letter in her hands. "Fifi! Elphie! Guess what!"

Elphaba relaxed, hearing the bubble blonde approaching them. "What?"

"Elenus is coming over! And he has something to tell me!" Galinda chirped, jumping up and down like a six year old on a sugar rush.

"Glin, calm down. You sound higher then a kite on helium," Elphaba said, a small smile tugging on the ends of her lips.

"Oh, Elphie," Galinda sighed. "This is so Ozmazifying! Do you think he'll propose?"

"I –"

"Don't answer that!" Galinda said, not wanting Elphaba to jinx anything.

"Okay," Elphaba smiled. "Have you seen Lanie?"

"She locked herself in her room and she refuses to come out. What happened?"

"She and Fae clashed… again," Fiyero said, sending his wife a pointed look.

"I know you're giving me a pointed look, Yero," Elphaba smiled.

Fiyero and Galinda's mouths dropped open, wondering how Elphaba knew that.

"And close your mouths. You'll catch flies."

Fiyero and Galinda stuttered. Elphaba smirked as she lifted her hand to Fiyero's chin and closed his mouth for him. "That's better."

"Should I try and talk to her?" Galinda offered, finding her voice.

"Would you?" Elphaba asked.

"Of course," the blonde said, skipping down the hall and turning to the corner to the younger princess's room.

"Lanie?" Galinda asked, knocking on the door.

"Go away!" Lanie yelled from the other side.

"Lanie, it's me. Aunt Galinda."

Galinda heard footsteps coming from the other side and soon, the door opened, revealing Lanie. Her eyes were red and puffy and tears were still streaming down her face.

"May I come in?" Galinda asked gently.

Lanie nodded and allowed the blonde to enter the room. Galinda smiled and closed the door behind her. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"No," Lanie whispered, slumping back into her bed.

"It's okay, because I already know," Galinda said, sitting down next to her.

Lanie looked up at her godmother, shocked.

"I know how you're feeling, and I understand how upset you must be feeling."

"It's just a boy. I don't see what the problem is. I've never had any friends, and now that I have one, I have to give him up. It's just not fair!"

"I know, sweetie. I know," Galinda smiled, rubbing circles on Lanie's back.

"And now she's keeping me a prisoner in the castle. I can't take it anymore! I'm not a baby!"

Lanie was near hysterics and Galinda didn't know what to do. She kept rubbing circles on her back, trying to calm her down.

"Sweetie, your mother really loves you and just wants to protect you," Galinda whispered, kissing Lanie's forehead.

The princess didn't respond as she continued to sob. Galinda sighed. She didn't know what else to say to make Lanie feel better. Thankfully, the teenager calmed down after a few minutes. She had cried herself to sleep. Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, Galinda helped Lanie under the covers.

"Fresh dreams," she whispered, tiptoeing out of the room and closing the door behind her.

"How is she?" Fiyero asked, seeing the blonde coming out of the room.

"She's asleep. Poor girl," Galinda whispered.

"She can cry all she wants. My decision is final," Elphaba said, her jaw set.

"Elphie, maybe you should reconsider. I mean, not allowing her outside sounds a little… harsh," Fiyero said as gently as possible.

"No, Yero. She disobeyed me and she needs to be punished."

"And this is how you're punishing her? By placing her under house arrest?"

"It's the only way to make sure she stays safe." Elphaba stood up. "I'm going upstairs to lie down." Galinda and Fiyero watched in silence as Elphaba felt her way to the stairs. Finding the handrail, she ascended the staircase and walked to the bedroom.

"There's no changing her mind now," Fiyero muttered.

"You know how Elphie gets. Once she sets her mind on something, it will take a miracle to change it."

"So true," Fiyero muttered, slumping down onto the couch.

* * *

><p>Lanie sat up in her bed, whimpering. It was the middle of the night. She felt so alone. She longed to be with Arlis, but she knew it was no use. Her mother had requested their best guards be placed on what she called 'Lanie Watch'. She hated her mother for doing this to her. She hated being cooped up inside all the time. Biting down on her lip, she slipped out of bed and walked towards the window. Being as sneaky as possible, she climbed down the vine outside her window. Not making a sound and staying close to the wall, she made her way to the forest. The sound of footsteps reached her ears and she turned to her right. One of the guards was walking towards her, his flashlight scanning the area. Thinking quickly, she ducked behind a large bush until the light past. Once it did, she continued her journey to the forest.<p>

"Arlis?" she whispered, nearing their special meeting place.

Arlis, who was sitting in front of the rock, looked up. Instead of smiling, his gaze grew hard.

"Arlie, what's wrong?" Lanie asked, sitting next to him.

Arlis jumped up. "Don't call me 'Arlie'," he hissed.

"W-What?"

"You heard what I said!"

"What's gotten in to you?"

"This is goodbye."

"What are you talking about?"

"Arlie!" a new voice called. Lanie and Arlis looked up to see another girl with long, light brown hair, tan skin and a black dress, running towards them. Arlis took her hand and kissed it, pretending that Lanie wasn't standing there. The girl giggled as Arlis pulled her in for a deep kiss. Lanie's eyes widened. What was Arlis doing?

"Who's this?" the girl asked, looked Lanie over.

"Lanie," Arlis muttered hatefully.

"Oh, _your_ Lanie," the girl said, almost as hatefully as Arlis.

"Arlis, what is going on?" Lanie demanded.

"This is Gyra. My girlfriend," Arlis said, wrapping his arms around Gyra's waist.

Lanie looked beyond shocked. "G-Girlfriend? What are you doing?"

"Look, it's been fun being with you, but it's been two weeks. Our deal was that we would meet here every night. When you didn't come, I moved on. End of story."

"Arlis, I'm sorry. I tried to come. Really I did, but –"

"Save it. I'm not going to hear any more of your excuses. Goodbye, Khylana," Arlis whispered, walking away and taking Gyra with him.

Lanie ran back to the castle in tears. Arlis looked over his shoulder and sighed. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You've played your part well. Now, take your hands off me," Gyra hissed, pulling away from Arlis.

"Was that really necessary?" Arlis asked, a look of pure hurt washing over his face.

"Look," Gyra whispered dangerously, pointing a sharp fingernail at Arlis' chest. "You know as well as I do what will happen if things don't go as planned."

"I don't want to hurt her."

"What about the people we love?" Gyra asked. "You knew from the beginning that you really couldn't be with her. She's the enemy! She's going to be destroyed."

"We really don't have to do this," Arlis pleaded. "There must be another way."

"Do you want me to tell the generals you think this? Do you want to spend another night being whipped and thrown in a lightless cell without food or water again?"

Arlis fell silent. He really didn't want to replay that horrible memory. "No," he whispered.

"Good. Then keep your mouth shut and do as you're told," Gyra said, pulling on his arm and dragging him away.

* * *

><p>"Lanie?" Galinda asked the next morning, knocking on the princess' door. Opening it, she found Lanie with her face buried in her pillow, crying her eyes out. "What's wrong?" she asked, sitting next to her.<p>

Lanie sniffed and sat up. "Are all boys stupid?"

"Do I have to kill someone?" Galinda asked as she started to take off one of her pink, stiletto heels.

"Aunt Galinda –"

"Because I will kill someone if I have to."

"I was just asking."

"No, seriously, who do I have to kill? What's his name?"

"Arlis," Lanie whispered.

Galinda slowly lowered her hand. "Oh. What happened?"

"H-He l-left me. Because I couldn't meet him. This is all Mama's fault! If she hadn't –"

"Maybe it's for the best," Galinda whispered.

Lanie stared at her. "For. The. Best?"

Galinda gulped, realizing that she shouldn't have said that. "Maybe he's not the boy you think he is."

"How can you say that? He was the best thing that's ever happened to me! He's the only friend I ever had!"

Galinda could tell Lanie was enraged. Taking a step back, she tried to calm her down. "Lanie…"

And then, it happened. Lanie released her magic. Lighting danced everywhere. Thunder boomed. The windows opened and shut. The wind howled. Galinda looked around, petrified.

"Lanie, calm down," Galinda said, approaching the young girl.

"Don't touch me!" Lanie shouted, her eyes glowing a bright shade of red. "Get out!"

"Lanie…"

"Get. Out."

"Lanie, please listen to me."

"GET. OUT!"

Galinda yelped as she bolted out of the room. Elphaba opened the door and walked towards the sound of Galinda's scream.

"Galinda, are you alright?" Elphaba asked, hearing the blonde's heels approaching her.

"Yup, Lanie is _definitely_ your daughter. She has your hair, your eyes, and your _temper_."

"What did she do?"

"She released her magic. Elphie, you need to fix this. I don't care how you do it, just do it!" Galinda said, stomping off.

Elphaba sighed. She didn't know how she was going to get through to her daughter. She wasn't going to change her mind. Lanie would just have to deal with it.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I have to live up to my new name, now don't I? I DON'T SEE YOU ALL BOWING DOWN! DO IT NOW! Favorite lines?<strong>

**Also, please check out my new story, 'Vinkun Princess'. It's a new twist on things. Fiyero and Elphaba are brother and sister. The first chapter is happy, but it will get a little (and by 'a little', I mean 'very') angsty. Check it out!**

**Reviews (on 'Vinkun Princess' and this chapter) would be extremely amazing!**

**Also, I got 'higher then a kite on helium' from Megan. Megan, if you're reading this, yes, I used it; no, I'm not changing it; and no, I will not submit my fanfictions for the Creative Writing class.**

**Until the next chapter,**

**Queen Nia the First, your Wicked Queen of Referencing**


	4. Proposing

***Summons royal pink scepter* Hello, my loyal subjects. Here is another chapter!**

**I'mFlyingHighDefyingGravity: You can be the 'Good' Queen of Referencing.**

**ExoticPeachBlossom: Life is always interesting with Elphaba.**

**Elphabalover101: Arlis is such a jarhead (Creds to Dogfight for that). And Megan told me not to submit my fanfictions to the Creative Writing class. Though, the way my schedule is set up for next year, I don't have time to take it.**

**NellytheActress: I'm "Daddy's Little Princess". Therefore, I'm royalty! Have fun in Wonderland!**

**Elphaba'sGirl: I'm so glad people actually like the "Nias". LOL!**

**woodland59: Galinda is very threatening when it comes to her shoes.**

**Elphaba Thropp of Fiyero: Thank you for addressing me by my royal title. Though… I can't promise anything about the happiness.**

* * *

><p>"Lanie?" Elphaba asked, knocking on her daughter's door.<p>

Not getting a response, Elphaba tried again, knocking harder this time. "Lanie?"

"Go away!" came the muffled voice of Lanie.

"Lanie, please open the door."

"No!"

"Lanie, open the door!"

"NO!"

"Khylana –"

"GO AWAY!"

Elphaba, being the assertive person she was, held her ground and opened the door. "Lanie!"

Lanie looked up and saw her mother. Turning away, she held back a sob. Her mother was the last person in Oz she wanted to see right now.

Elphaba took a deep breath and calmed down. She knew she had to do this correctly the first time, or risk Lanie being mad at her forever. "Lanie, I know you're upset, but –"

"You have no idea," Lanie muttered.

"Even so, that's still no excuse for your behavior lately."

Lanie crossed her arms and glared back at her mother. "Is that why you told the guards to watch over me like I'm a small child."

"I did what I did to protect you."

"Protect me from what? The only person who makes me feel normal? I'm not a baby anymore! I don't need protection!"

"There are dangers out there that you're not ready to face."

"Like what?"

Elphaba bit her lip and closed her eyes. "Lanie…"

"You just want me to stay a little girl and I'm not!"

"Lanie…" Elphaba warned.

"Well, you know what? I'm not. I'm not a little girl anymore!"

"Lanie…"

"Not everyone in Oz is bad! Why can't you see that? I hate it here! I hate my life! I hate you!"

"ENOUGH!" Elphaba roared.

"No! You can't keep me locked up in here forever."

"I can do what I please. I am your mother and you will not speak to me that way!" Elphaba yelled.

Lanie grabbed one of her books and hurled it at her mother. Elphaba, sensing something whizzing towards her, held out her hand. The book stopped and floated in midair. Enraged, Elphaba waved her hand, the windows closing and locking.

Lanie reached over and grabbed her hairbrush. Elphaba stopped it just before it hit her in between her eyes. This went on for a full half hour. Lanie picked up and threw everything she could think of, while Elphaba magically stopped the attacks. Exhausted, Elphaba took a deep breath. When she didn't sense Lanie throwing anything, she thought Lanie had tired herself out. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, she felt something hit her in the face and drop to the ground. Reaching down, she felt a soft, silky sheet with a plush feeling underneath it. Lanie had thrown her pillow at her. Picking up the pillow and gracefully rising to her feet, Elphaba turned to leave.

"Very well, Lanie," she whispered, her voice hard and cold. She left the room and closed the door behind her. She muttered a spell under her breath with her hand placed firmly on the doorknob. The knob glowed a bright shade of green, then died away. Elphaba stepped back, wondering if her spell worked. A few seconds later, she heard Lanie stand up from her bed and walk towards the door.

Lanie sighed, deciding to apologize to her mother. She tried to open the door and made a very disturbing discovery; the door was locked. She tried and tried to open the door, but it was shut. She created a swirl of magic and placed it on the doorknob. It turned green and Lanie gasped. Her mother had magically locked her in her room. That meant that only Elphaba could let her out.

"Mama! Mama!" Lanie called, shaking the door. "Please let me out! Please!"

Elphaba closed her eyes and walked away. She didn't care what she had to do to make sure Lanie stayed safe.

"Mama!" Lanie shrieked, banging on the door, begging her mother to come back. She stepped away from the door, hurt and confused. She fell onto her bed and cried, her tears soaking her pillow. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

* * *

><p>"Elphie! He's coming today!" Galinda exclaimed.<p>

Elphaba nodded, but remained silent.

"This is so exciting. What am I gonna say? What am I gonna wear? What am I gonna – Elphie, are you alright?"

A single tear slid down Elphaba's cheek. Galinda rushed to her friend and hugged her. "Elphie, what's wrong?"

"I-It's Lanie," Elphaba hiccupped.

"Is she still mad at you?"

"S-She said s-she h-hated me."

"Oh, Elphie," Galinda whispered, tightening her grip around her friend. "She didn't mean that."

"She did. I could feel it in her anger. She really meant it."

"You're doing it to protect her."

"I don't want my own daughter to hate me."

"Where is she now?"

"In her room." Elphaba's tears finally subsided and she calmed down.

"Still?"

Elphaba remained silent as Galinda tried to figure out why Lanie was still in her room.

"Elphie… what did you do?" Galinda asked, looking her friend in the eyes. Gasping, she realized what was wrong. "You magically locked her in her room, didn't you?"

"It was the only way to protect her."

"Obviously, since full house arrest didn't work," Galinda muttered.

"Well, what would you do if you had a daughter who you were trying to protect, but wouldn't listen to you?" Elphaba shouted, angrily glaring in Galinda's direction.

Galinda gulped, not wanting to make Elphie any more upset. Fiyero would never forgive her if the entire Vinkus was blown off the map of Oz.

"I'm sorry," Galinda whispered, taking Elphaba's hands.

"It's okay," Elphaba said, gently pulling her hands out of the blonde's grasp.

The doorbell rang, producing a very loud squeal from the bubbly blonde.

"Oz, Galinda, my ears!" Elphaba exclaimed, clasping her hands over her ears. "Are you trying to make me go deaf?"

"Oops, sorry, Elphie," Galinda said, smiling sheepishly as she ran to answer the door. "Hello, Elenus," she smiled, allowing the young man into the castle.

"Hello, Galinda," Elenus smiled shyly. Galinda's smile widened as she looked deep into Elenus' green eyes. She leaned forward to hug him, running her fingers through his light brown hair.

"I've missed you so much. I received your letter. What did you want to tell me?" Galinda probed.

"I think it would be most appropriate to announce this over dinner tonight," Elenus said, kissing Galinda's hand.

"Okay." Galinda watched as Elenus walked up the stairs to find Fiyero. "I do," she said to herself, practicing her acceptance speech. "I do. No, I _do_. Wait, _I_ do."

"You don't even know if he's going to propose or not," Elphaba said, smirking.

Galinda stuck her tongue out at Elphaba. What she wasn't expecting was for Elphaba to stick _her_ tongue out at her. Too stunned to speak, Galinda just stared at her friend.

"Remember Galinda, we've known each other since we were children. You're so predictable," Elphaba explained.

Galinda silently praised Elphaba for her remarkable insight and squealed. "Well, what if he is? Ooh, I need to pick out the perfect dress, and you're gonna help me!" She grabbed Elphaba by her hands and pulling her up.

"I don't see how I would be of much assistance in the picking out a dress department," Elphaba said, raising her eyebrow at Galinda.

"I still want you with me. Now, stop protesting and come on!"

"I'm coming," Elphaba said, allowing Galinda to lead her up the stairs. On their way to Galinda's room, they past Lanie's room and Elphaba stopped. She waited as she listened for a noise coming from Lanie's room. She sighed when she heard small hiccupping sobs coming from the other side of the door.

"Elphie," Galinda whispered. "I know how you're feeling right now, and I know how much you're hurting, but please listen to me. How would you feel if your father told you that you couldn't be with Fiyero anymore because of some unforeseen circumstance and a rumor that may or may not be true? What if he was your only true friend and all you wanted to do was to be with him? I'm not asking you to change your mind and reconsider. I'm just asking you to try to see this through Lanie's eyes."

Elphaba remained silent for a while. She knew Galinda was right. She wouldn't like it if her father forced her to never see Fiyero again. She couldn't imagine her life without Fiyero. "You're right, Galinda. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're right."

"Well, don't sound all surprised about it. You know I have my moments," Galinda said, tossing her hair over her shoulder and giggling.

"Yes, my dear blonde. Yes, you do," Elphaba chuckled.

"Elphie, we've been over this. It's golden!" Galinda argued.

"My sweet," Elphaba said, raising her hand and gently running it through the blonde's hair. She tilted her head to the side, as if wondering something. "It feels blonde."

Galinda muttered something under her breath and took Elphaba's arm again, finishing the walk to their room.

"Decisions, decisions, decisions," Galinda muttered, reviewing all of her dress choices in her closet.

Elphaba ran her fingers over the soft fabrics of the dresses. "I like this one," she said, pulling out a silky dress.

Galinda turned towards Elphaba and examined the dress. It was an ocean blue dress with a long, full skirt and short sleeves that would stop at her elbows and a white lace belt. Carefully taking the dress from Elphaba, she held it up to her own body, picturing how it would look on her.

"Yes, I like this one. You've picked the perfect dress, Miss Elphie."

"Thank you," Elphaba smiled, sitting down on Galinda's bed. "What does it look like?"

"It's the most beautiful shade of blue I've ever seen, with a nice long skirt, just the way I like it, and a beautiful lace belt. You're better at this than you give yourself credit for."

Elphaba smiled, remembering what Fiyero had once told her when they were teenagers. _Blue is like the cold water splashing on your feet._

"You'll look beautiful," Elphaba complemented.

"Thank you, Elphie," Galinda gushed, placing her hand over her heart as she ran to give Elphaba a hug. She noticed tears forming in Elphaba's chocolate eyes and wondered if Elphaba was still sensitive to being blind. "Elphie?"

"I'm fine," Elphaba whispered, quickly wiping away her tears. She lowered her hand and felt Galinda's soft comforter. She slowly slid her hand across the blanket, as if feeling it would give her the ability to see it. She blankly stared straight in front of her, not being able to see anything except complete darkness.

"Here," Galinda said, taking Elphaba's hands and helping her to her feet.

"Where are we going?" Elphaba asked as Galinda led her back to the closet.

Galinda didn't answer and she went through all of her dresses, holding most of them up to Elphaba's slender form.

"Galinda?" Elphaba asked, still not knowing what the blonde was doing.

"Try this on," Galinda said, handing Elphaba a dress and ushering her into the bathroom. When she came out, Galinda gasped. Elphaba looked completely stunning. The dress was simple, but pretty enough to satisfy Galinda. It was soft pink and the skirt was long and flowed over Elphaba's ankles. The sleeves were long and went all the way down to Elphaba's wrists.

"What? What is it?" Elphaba asked, feeling the soft, silky fabric of the dress.

"Have I ever told you that pink goes good with green?" Galinda asked, a soft smile on her lips.

"Pink? I'm wearing pink?" Elphaba panicked.

"Elphie," Galinda said, grabbing her friend by the arms. "It's a soft pink. It doesn't clash with the green and you look beautiful."

"I… I… really?" Elphaba asked hopefully.

"Of course. You always look beautiful."

"Thank you," the emerald girl whispered.

"Anytime. Come on, or we'll be late for dinner."

* * *

><p>Dinner was beautiful. Lanie was allowed out of her room, but avoided looking at her mother the entire meal. During dessert, Elenus stood up, saying that he had a special announcement to make.<p>

"Galinda," he said, looking at the blonde. "We've known each other for a fair amount of years now, and I have to say, you have changed me."

Galinda blushed, taking it as a complement, which it was.

"And that's why I want to say this," Elenus said as he knelt down on one knee and pulled out a small, black box. The whole table gasped as he opened it, revealing a shiny diamond ring.

"Galinda Upland, would you do me the highest honor of becoming my wife?" Elenus asked, looking the blonde in the eyes.

"Galinda didn't waste a second. She jumped out of her chair and tackled Elenus in a hug. "Yes! I do! I do! I absolutely do!"

"Congratulations!" Elphaba smiled as Elenus slipped the engagement ring onto Galinda's finger.

"I'm happy for both of you," Lanie whispered. Those we the first words she spoke the entire dinner.

The rest of the night was filled with talking and squealing and family togetherness.

And then the letter came…

* * *

><p><strong>Let the Angst begin! MWAHAHAHA! What? I'm the Wicked Queen for a reason, guys! Favorite lines?<strong>


	5. Letters

**Announcer: *In booming voice* Now announcing, Her Royal Majesty, Queen Nia the First.**

***Queen Nia enters* Hello, my fellow Ozians and other loyal subjects. Welcome to another chapter of Silver and Gold.**

**I'mFlyingHighDefyingGravity: If you call the Nia Hunters, I'll just call the Sydney Hunters! How's that? *Snaps fingers in 'Z' formation***

**woodland59: Who are you killing? Me? Kill Arlis instead!**

**Elphaba'sGirl: Happy? I don't do happy. At least, not in this story. Sorry.**

**Elphaba Thropp of Fiyero: One day, indeed. Just… not soon.**

**Also, Elphabalover101 told me of something special (that I will not reveal at the moment) she planned for her story 'Invisible'. So, she is in this story as… Princess Elisa! Everyone, read, review, follow and favorite 'Invisible'. It's an AMAZING story and all of you will LOVE it! I promise! Queen's honor.**

* * *

><p>Fiyero and Elphaba were in their bedroom, spending some quality time together. Elphaba snuggled against Fiyero, humming softly to herself. Fiyero laid his chin on top of Elphaba's head, breathing in her sweet scent.<p>

"Yero," Elphaba whispered, snuggling closer to him.

Fiyero kissed the top of her head, making the green girl smile. A knock on the door interrupted their moment.

The couple quickly sat up. "Come in," Fiyero called. The door opened, revealing General Vanadium.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Your Highnesses," Vanadium bowed.

"Not at all, General. Is something wrong?" Elphaba asked.

"I have just received this letter," Vanadium said, handing Fiyero a small envelope.

Fiyero took the envelope and slowly opening it. He held his breath and bit his lip as his eyes scanned the paper.

"Yero, what does it say?" Elphaba asked, gripping Fiyero's arm.

Fiyero was at a loss of words as he folded up the letter. He looked over at his wife, who was giving his direction a very worried look.

"Yero?" she whispered. "What is it? What's wrong? What does the letter say?"

Fiyero took a deep breath. "Well… it seems there's been an attack. The outsiders are beginning to attack Oz."

Elphaba gasped. "Where?"

"The Quadling Country. They're starting to recruit every able-bodied male to the war. The general there, General Rubidium, is starting training as soon as possible."

"Where there…" Elphaba couldn't even say it.

"The letter doesn't say anything about causalities."

"And another report says that the outsiders are moving towards the Vinkus," Vanadium said.

Elphaba inhaled sharply, trying to calm herself down. "What does this mean?"

Vanadium gave the Crowned Prince a short nod. Fiyero closed his eyes, knowing what he had to do. "I have to go off to war."

"What?!" Elphaba all but shrieked.

"I'm sorry, Fae. It's my responsibility to lead our troops in battle. There's nothing I can do about it."

"No!" Elphaba protested, wrapping her arms around Fiyero. "Please don't leave me!"

"Fae," Fiyero said gently, kissing her head. "It's my duty. I must go."

Elphaba sniffed. "When?"

Fiyero looked up at General Vanadium. "As soon as possible would be best," Vanadium said, looking from Elphaba to Fiyero.

Fiyero nodded. "Next week."

Elphaba clung to Fiyero even tighter, almost stopping him from breathing. Fiyero rubbed circles on her back, soothing her. "It's okay, Fae," he whispered. "I'll be back before you know it."

Elphaba nodded, her face buried in the crook of Fiyero's arm.

"I promise to return," Fiyero whispered, rocking her in his arms.

"Alive and in one piece?" Elphaba whispered, her face still buried in Fiyero's arm.

Fiyero chuckled softly. "Alive and in one piece."

* * *

><p>"Any news from my father?" the young Princess Elisa asked, running down the long hallway of Riscelena Castle. Her straight brown hair flew behind her and when she stopped, the ends of her hair met a spot on her back a few inches below her shoulders. Her shinning blue eyes were enchanting, almost magical.<p>

"Not yet, Your Highness," General Osmium bowed before the fourteen year old princess.

"Oh," Elisa said, sounding very disappointed. She missed her father and wanted him to come home from the war soon. "Why did Father have to go to war?"

Osmium knelt before the young princess. "He was needed on the front lines."

"But why Oz? What's going on there? We live in Ev. The Rose Kingdom, to be exact. Why would we care about something that happens in Oz?"

The general sighed. The princess was so full of questions. He knew he wasn't supposed to tell her the real reason, so he had to make up a lie. "Because that's just the way it is."

Princess Elisa narrowed her eyes at the general, not fully believing him. "You expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth."

The princess rolled her eyes and gave her an exasperated sigh. "Fine." She picked up the long, full skirt of her pick ball gown and walked away back to her room.

* * *

><p>"You're WHAT!?" Galinda asked Fiyero over dinner that night.<p>

"I have to join the front lines in the battle against the countries beyond the Badlands," Fiyero said calmly.

Galinda was not calm. "B-But you can't leave!"

"I'm also going," Elenus said.

Galinda wasn't having any of this. "You can't go, too!"

"Glin, I have to."

"No, you don't!" Galinda almost cried.

"I'm needed to train new recruits. We need everyone we can get. Their armies are larger than ours, and we don't stand a chance unless we work together."

"I'm writing to the Wizard tonight, asking for his help," Fiyero said, slipping his hand into Elphaba's.

"Okay," Elphaba whispered.

Lanie remained silent during the entire conversation, staring at her plate of untouched food.

"Lanie?" Fiyero asked, looking at his daughter.

"Yes?" Lanie asked without looking up from her plate.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," Lanie lied. Why would her father ask such a question? How could she be alright when he was saying that he was going off to war?

Fiyero slowly slid his free hand into Lanie's, but she pulled away.

"I'm sorry," Fiyero whispered.

"M-May I be excused, please?" Lanie whispered, still refusing to look at her father.

Elphaba noticed how upset and confused Lanie sounded and for the first time since their argument, wasn't angry with Lanie anymore. "Yes, Lanie."

Lanie quickly stood up and ran out of the room. Elphaba sighed as she heard Lanie's footsteps grow softer and softer. "I feel so bad for her."

Fiyero and Galinda both gave Elphaba a shocked look. Pitying Lanie was the last thing they expected Elphaba to do at a time like this.

"I know it sounds crazy, but with everything that happening right now, our argument doesn't matter anymore," Elphaba said, explaining her thoughts.

"And this confirms the rumors. The outsiders are trying to attack us," Fiyero added.

"You don't think it's because of the jewels, do you?" Elphaba asked.

"It might be. The Vinkus is known for mining 95% of the jewels in Oz. If the outsiders overthrow us, they will have total control over our mines. With that amount of money, they would be able to take over all of Oz. We can't let that happen."

"Fiyero's right," Elenus spoke up. "And I would be honored to help you defend our country."

"Thank you, Elenus," Fiyero smiled.

Galinda hung her head. She couldn't accept the fact that Elenus was leaving her.

"Don't worry, Galinda. As soon as I come back, we will have the biggest wedding you can image," Elenus reassured her, tenderly kissing her hand.

"With doves?" Galinda asked.

"With doves," Elenus smiled.

"And pink?"

"Yes."

"And flying horses?"

Elenus gave her a hearty laugh. "Anything you wish, my love."

"Okay," Galinda nodded. "I guess I can wait. Not forever, of course, but I can wait."

Elenus smiled and kissed his fiancée. "I promise, Galinda. We will have the wedding of your dreams when I return."

* * *

><p>Elphaba made her way to Lanie's room that evening to check up on her.<p>

"Lanie?" she whispered, knocking on her door. Not hearing anything, she turned the knob and pushed the door open. She heard silent cries coming from Lanie's bed and walked towards the sound. Lanie was lying on her bed, crying into her pillow and obvious to her mother's presents. Elphaba sat on the bed beside her and rubbed her back.

Lanie, upon feeling her mother's touch, jumped up. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she turned away, obviously still upset with her mother.

"Lanie," Elphaba whispered, reaching for Lanie again. "Please talk to me."

"There's nothing to say," Lanie whispered. Her voice was so quiet, Elphaba almost didn't hear her.

"Please don't shut yourself away from me. I just want to talk to you."

Lanie didn't turn around, not ready to speak to her mother yet.

"This isn't what we wanted for you. You don't deserve this. The thing your father and I were trying to protect you from is happening and there's nothing we can do to stop it."

Elphaba waited for Lanie to respond. It was so quiet, she didn't know if Lanie was listening to her, or if she was even there.

"Lanie, please talk to me. I'm so sorry about everything. I understand how you're feeling right now."

"No," Lanie whispered.

"I do. I know you think I don't, but I do. I know how much you're hurting right now and I want to help you."

"I don't need any help," Lanie muttered.

"You do. I know you do. I know you're feeling hurt and broken. I know our argument is making everything worse and it's the reason you're still not speaking to me."

Lanie sighed. She knew her mother was right. She just didn't want to admit it.

Elphaba slowly stood up and walked towards Lanie. Finding her hand, she grasped it, hoping for Lanie to return to her. Instead, Lanie violently pulled her hand away.

Elphaba wasn't surprised by Lanie's reaction. She tried again. Lanie pulled away with even more force. After a few seconds, Elphaba gently wrapped her arms around Lanie and tried to kiss her forehead, but Lanie pulled away for the third time, causing the younger princess to fall to the ground.

Elphaba knelt beside her in an attempt to help her up, but Lanie crawled away into the corner of her room.

"No," Lanie said, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Lanie, please don't build these walls around yourself. Believe me, it's not healthy," Elphaba said, standing up.

"Go away," Lanie muttered, very close to tears.

"I just want to talk to you."

"No. Go away."

Elphaba sighed before turning around to leave. "I'm leaving. But just remember this. Lanie, if you ever need to talk to someone, when you feel like talking, I'll always be here for you." And with that, Elphaba left the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Princess Elisa was in her room, reading as one of her maids brushed her hair.<p>

"How would you like your hair today, Princess?" the maid questioned.

"Down is fine. With the pink headband," Elisa said, pointing to the hot pink headband on her dresser.

"As you wish," the maid said, putting the brush down and taking the headband. She carefully placed it in the princess' hair, making sure not one single hair was out of place.

"Thank you," Elisa said, giving her maid a short nod and skipping out of the room.

The maid curtsied and started to clean up the rest of the room.

Elisa skipped down the hall, singing a random tune she just made up in her mind. As she was skipping, she past General Osmium's private office and heard a voice coming from inside. Firmly placing her ear to the door, she wondered what the general was talking about.

"This war… deaths… the king… jewels…" Osmium muttered to himself.

_General Osmium talks to himself? Ooh, this is juicy!_ Elisa smirked. She suddenly stopped. What was this about deaths, her father and jewels? What was really going on?

* * *

><p>Lanie looked out the window at the two horses waiting to take her father and Elenus off to war. She wished they didn't have to go.<p>

"Lanie?" Fiyero asked, standing in the doorway of Lanie's room.

Lanie turned around as her father entered the room. She allowed him to give her a hug, but her arms remained limp at her sides.

"I wish I didn't have to leave you here like this," Fiyero whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Wishing is stupid," Lanie said, her voice sounding dark and cold. "Wishing is for people who can't see reality."

Fiyero stood there, shocked. What happened to his Lanie? "Lanie?"

"Wishing is for people who live in darkness, longing for light but are too lazy to try and get it."

"What's wrong, ma fleur délicate?"

Lanie looked up at her father again, tears quickly filling her eyes. She ran to her father and hugged him. "I don't want you to go!"

_This is my Lanie_, Fiyero thought, hugging her back. "I don't want to go either, baby. But you must understand why I have to go."

"I do. But that doesn't mean I'm okay with it."

"I know. I promise to be back before you know it."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Lanie nodded and released her father. "Lanie, I need you to promise to be a good girl for me."

"I promise."

"Good girl," Fiyero smiled. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Lanie smiled softly as she watched her father leave. She knew he would return. He had to. He just had to.

* * *

><p><strong>I know. It's sad. But it's angst for a reason. Don't forget to read, review, follow and favorite 'Invisible' by Elphabalover101. If you won't do it for her (which you should), do it for ME because I'M IN IT! That's right. I'm a character in the story. So read and review it! Please?<strong>


	6. War

**WickedNCIS: Yes, plot twist! I actually planned all of this before I started writing this story, so I already know how all of this is gonna end.**

**I'mFlyingHighDefyingGravity: I can't tell you… *Maniacal laugh***

**NellytheActress: You know the deal she made. LOL!**

**ExoticPeachBlossom: I can't make any promises about Fiyero being okay… Thank you for addressing me by my royal title!**

**Elphabalover101: Aww! Thank you! Glad I could help. I guess I can still be patient and wait for the sequel. *Waits 5 minutes* Okay, enough waiting!**

**Elphaba'sGirl: I don't blame you. And I can't promise anything about a happy ending. Sorry.**

**The Wizard Of Wicked: Thanks! And I am a queen. I love those lines, too!**

**Major thanks to my school's assistant principle, who's also an English teacher, for giving me an idea for this chapter. LET THE ANGST BEGIN! MWAHAHA!**

* * *

><p>Galinda, Elphaba, Castie and Lanie were all down in the dumps because of Fiyero and Elenus' depart. They missed them, and they hoped they would return soon.<p>

"Galinda?" Elphaba whispered, coming into the parlor.

"Yes?" Galinda asked, looking up.

"Do you think Fiyero and Elenus will be alright?"

Galinda patted the seat next to her, wanting Elphaba to sit down. Elphaba slowly walked to the couch and sat down next to Galinda, wrapping her arms around her in a tender hug.

"Elphie, they'll be fine," Galinda said, hugging her friend back.

"I know. I just –" Elphaba burst into tears.

Galinda rubbed small circles on her back, soothing her. "It's okay, Elphie. Fiyero and Elenus will be fine."

"But what if –"

"Elenus and I are supposed to get married. With doves, flying horses, and pink! Trust me, he'll be fine."

"H-How can you b-be so sure?"

"They'll come back. I know they will. They're both extremely strong with amazing battle skills. They can make it out of anything."

Elphaba slowly began to calm down. "I know how much you want your wedding with pink doves –"

"Elphaba, the doves aren't gonna be pink," Galinda said, playfully slapping Elphaba's arm.

Elphaba laughed, despite herself. "I sure they won't."

"No, really. They won't."

"Of course. Galinda… h-have you seen Lanie?"

Galinda suddenly turned serious. "I think she's still in her room."

Elphaba moved to get up, but Galinda pushed her back down. "Elphie, maybe I should talk to her. She's still a little… um…"

"Upset with me?" Elphaba finished for her.

Galinda shifted her weight. "…Yeah."

"Okay," Elphaba said as Galinda left the parlor and walked up the stairs to Lanie's room.

"Lanie?" Galinda asked, softly knocking on the door.

Surprisingly, Lanie opened the door. She looked up at Galinda, biting down on her bottom lip.

"May I come in?" Galinda asked gently.

Lanie nodded and moved out of the way. Galinda entered the room, closing the door behind her. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes," Lanie whispered.

"Lanie, I know how hard this must be for you. But please know this; your mother and I are here for here for you. So is Castie."

Lanie crossed her arms and looked down. "Okay."

"I know you're still upset about Arlis, and I agree with you that your mother isn't helping things right now," Galinda said. She was surprised when Lanie cracked a small smile. "But she really wants you to talk to her. It will make you feel better."

Lanie didn't have a response. "Maybe later," she whispered after a long silence.

"It would help if you did it now."

"Okay," Lanie agreed.

Galinda kissed her forehead and left the room, closing the door behind her. Lanie sat on her bed for a few minutes. Should she talk to her mother? She wanted to make things right with her, but was still extremely upset with her. Sighing, she stood up and walked to her door, but the sound of her window breaking stopped her. Turning around, she saw tall figures approaching her. She tried to run away, but the figures approached her. She couldn't see their faces, since the figures were masked and were wearing brown cloaks with hoods.

"Let me go!" Lanie shouted, trying to twist away.

"Never!" the figure who was holding her said. "You're coming with us."

"As Princess of the Vinkus and heir to the thrown of Oz, I command you to release me this instant!" Lanie yelled.

That was the last thing she remembered before a hard blow to the back knocked her out and everything went black.

* * *

><p>Princess Elisa was never one for snooping, but she had to find out what was really going on. She snuck into General Osmium's room when he wasn't there. Snooping through his papers, she felt like a spy, but she had no other choice. Her father was out on the front lines and she was all alone. Her mother died when she was two years old, so her father was all she had left. If he was in Oz fighting in a war, she had every right to know why. Finally finding what she was looking for, she unrolled the scroll and read it. It was a map of Oz with a highlight on the Western part called the Vinkus. In small, neat cursive handwriting were the words 'jewels, mines, gold, silver, oil…' Elisa tuned out. She couldn't believe her eyes. This wasn't like her father. Her father was a kind hearted king who put the needs of his people before his own. She realized something else. Since she wasn't old enough to take the thrown of the Rose Kingdom, General Osmium would rule in her place until she was old enough. That was his plan all along.<p>

"Oh, I will kill him," Elisa muttered to herself. "That is, if this war doesn't beat me to it."

* * *

><p>Galinda heard the crash from Lanie's room and went back to check up on her. When she tried to open the door, she found that it was locked. She turned it with all her strength, but the door refused to open. She knew Elphaba had removed the spell, so it wasn't magic, and Lanie never locked her door. She had to find some way in there to make sure Lanie was alright. She sprinted back down to the parlor to get Elphaba.<p>

"Elphie!" Galinda shouted, running into the parlor.

Elphaba turned around. "Galinda, what is it?"

"It's… Lanie. She… room... door… locked… crash," Galinda stuttered, her lungs begging for air.

"Glin, slow down," Elphaba said, carefully approaching the blonde. "Now, take a deep breath and tell me what's wrong."

"Something crashed in Lanie's room. It could have been her window. I tried to get in, but the door was locked and –"

"Wait, a window?" Elphaba gasped, panicking.

Galinda, seeing that she had set of a red flag in her friend's mind, gently grabbed her shoulders. "Elphie, I didn't mean to get you all worried over –"

Elphaba moved towards the stairs, but Galinda pulled her back.

"No! Galinda, let me go!"

"Elphie, calm down!"

"NO! Let. Me. GO!"

Galinda tightened her grip, struggling against the green woman she was trying to restrain. "Elphie!"

Elphaba finally shook Galinda off and bolted up the stairs. She ran to Lanie's room and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't open. As if someone had jammed it with a chair. Summoning her magic, Elphaba created an energy ball and hurled it at the door. The force of the blow caused the door to swing open and Elphaba ran inside.

"Lanie!" she shouted, hoping Lanie was there.

No answer.

"Lanie!" Elphaba tried again, walking further into the room. She tripped over something and fell to her knees, a sharp pain shooting up her arm from her hand. "Lanie!"

Galinda ran into the room and gasped. "Elphie! There's glass everywhere!" She ran to her friend and helped her up. She gasped when she saw blood streaming down the center of Elphaba's hand.

"Stay right there. Don't move," Galinda said, running to the bathroom and grabbing a damp cloth and bandages. She hurried back to the room, where Elphaba was on her knees crying.

"You cut your hand on the glass. Here," Galinda said, gently taking Elphaba's hand and cleaning the blood off. She wrapped the bandages around her hand. The cut, thankfully, wasn't very deep and wouldn't take a long time to heal.

"Where's Lanie?" Elphaba hiccupped.

Galinda looked around, not seeing a sign that the young princess was anywhere to be found. "She's not here."

"No," Elphaba whispered, sobbing fresh tears.

"Oh, Elphie," Galinda whispered, hugging her friend.

"Elphaba? Galinda?" Castie asked, coming into the room. The two older women turned around.

"Y-Yes?" Elphaba asked, wiping away her tears.

"There's a messenger boy downstairs requesting to talk to both of you."

News from the front. Hopefully, it was good news. Following Castie, Galinda and Elphaba walked down the stairs into the parlor, where the messenger boy was waiting for them.

"Your Highness," the messenger boy bowed, seeing Elphaba. He looked no older than sixteen or seventeen. He was tall with broad shoulders, with brown hair and bangs that almost covered his eyes.

"What's your news?" Galinda asked gently, sitting down on the couch next to Elphaba.

"Your Highness," the messenger boy began. "I regret to inform you that…"

* * *

><p><strong>Don't look at me like that! When I said I'm still taking notes from Ultimate Queen of Cliffies and ExoticPeachBlossom, I really meant it! Don't act all shocked! I never promised that this would be happy. Though, if I get enough reviews… my decisions aren't final… yet. You all still have a chance. So, REVIEW!<strong>


	7. Dead

**Hm... 10 reviews. I think this calls for an update, don't you?**

**The Wizard Of Wicked: Um… sorry. Nope.**

**Nynjin: Thanks. And it's Queen Nia the First, the Wicked Queen of Referencing. And Elphaba's blindness is permanent. Sorry.**

**This chapter is dedicated to the amazing ExoticPeachBlossom, who has been reviewing my stories since the start of my fanfictional career and who taught me everything I know about writing angst. Check out all her stories. They're Ozmazifying!**

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><p>"Y-Yes?" Galinda whispered, trying to be strong for Elphaba.<p>

"There was a bombing at the camp site," the messenger boy said slowly.

Elphaba broke down sobbing. Galinda quickly wrapped her arms around her friend, trying to comfort her.

"And not many people were fortunate enough to escape."

Elphaba loud wails echoed through the castle. All of the servants stopped their work, all knowing what had happened.

"I have with me a list of casualties," the messenger boy said, taking a rolled up piece of paper and handing it to Galinda. Gulping, Galinda slowly unrolled the paper and glanced at the names.

"Elphie," Galinda said, shaking her friend's arm.

Elphaba sniffed and looked up. "Y-Yes."

"Fiyero's not dead."

"What?"

"He's not dead. He's not on the causalities list."

"H-He's not?" Elphaba asked, slowly pushing herself up.

Galinda shook her head. "No, he's not."

"Fiyero's alive!" Elphaba smiled.

"There's more," the messenger boy said. "I have two telegrams, one for each of you."

The happy moment stopped. Galinda slowly took Elphaba's telegram and opened it. "We regret to inform you that Fiyero Tigulaar has been reported Missing in Action. Please await further details."

Elphaba bit her lip. Fiyero was missing. That meant they didn't know if he was alive or dead. She closed her eyes. "What does yours say?"

Galinda slowly opened her telegram. Her eyes scanned the small piece of yellow paper. Gasping, she slid off the couch, unable to breath.

"Glin?" Elphaba asked, falling to her knees next to the blonde. "What is it?"

Galinda was hyperventilating, unable to form words. She clutched the crinkled paper against her heart, begging the words to be false.

"Glin?" Elphaba whispered.

"H-He… Elenus…." Galinda sobbed, wrapping her arms around her waist.

Elphaba quickly gathered Galinda in a hug. "What is it?"

"He… he's dead."

"Oh, Galinda," Elphaba whispered, hugging Galinda closer. "I'm so sorry."

"He's dead," Galinda repeated over and over, trying to convince herself otherwise.

"I'm so sorry."

"He didn't die in the bombing. That's why his name isn't on the causalities list," the messenger boy said, slowly walking out of the parlor. "I'm so sorry that I only have bad news to report, Your Highness."

Elphaba slowly nodded as the messenger boy left. She continued to rub Galinda's back. She suddenly remembered how Galinda was comforting her when she was upset about Fiyero.

"It'll be okay," she whispered, kissing the blonde's forehead.

"He's dead," Galinda whispered.

Elphaba rocked her friend in her arms. She tried to think of a way to comfort her, but none came to mind.

"I'm so sorry," Elphaba whispered again.

The two women stayed like that for a while. Galinda cried herself to sleep, occasionally muttering, "He's dead."

Elphaba carefully wiped the tears from the blonde's cheek. Slowly rocking her in her arms, she tried to think of something that would make her feel better.

"Is everything alright?" Castie asked, coming into the parlor. She stopped when she saw Galinda fast asleep in Elphaba's arms. Her face was tear-stained, causing her make-up to run.

"What…?" Castie whispered, afraid of the news she would hear.

"Elenus died," Elphaba whispered.

Galinda whimpered, causing Elphaba to tighten her grip around her.

"Oh no," Castie whispered, kneeling beside the blonde and hugging her. "Is she alright?"

"I don't know," Elphaba said, closing her eyes. "She's been crying for a while."

Galinda slowly opened her eyes and saw Castie standing over her. She tried to force a small smile onto her face, but failed miserably.

"H-Hi," she sniffed, wiping some of her running make-up from her face.

"Hi," Castie said gently.

Galinda slowly rose to her feet. "I… I'm going to lie down now," she announced, walking up the stairs towards her room.

"I feel so bad for her," Elphaba whispered.

Castie helped Elphaba sit down on the couch. "Is Fiyero…?"

"I don't know. He's missing."

Castie's hand flew over her mouth. "No…"

"I'm so sorry," Elphaba whispered, hanging her head.

"No, Elphaba. You have nothing to apologize for. None of this is your fault."

"I just…"

"Don't do this to yourself. None of this is your fault," Castie said, wiping a tear from Elphaba's eye.

Elphaba squeezed her eyes shut. "Thank you," she whispered.

"It's okay." Castie stood up, gave the emerald girl a gentle hug.

* * *

><p>Elphaba stood in front of her window later that evening, the gentle breeze whistling through her hair. She hadn't heard anything from Galinda in a while, and decided to see if she was alright. An idea of how to make Galinda feel better slammed into her head like a ton of bricks. She walked over to her dresser and grabbed her hairbrush before hurrying to the blonde's room.<p>

"Galinda?" she asked, knocking on the door.

Galinda opened the door a few seconds later. "Hi, Elphie."

"Hi. Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah," Galinda whispered, twirling her engagement ring around her finger. "C-Can I help you with anything?"

Elphaba fingered her hairbrush and gently smiled at the blonde. Galinda giggled, knowing exactly what Elphaba wanted. Taking her hands, she led the emerald princess into her room and helped her sit down. Taking the brush from her, Galinda went to work brushing Elphaba's hair.

"Are you sure you'll be alright tonight?" Elphaba asked as Galinda untangled her hair.

"I'll be fine," the blonde responded.

"Are you sure? 'Cause I can tell the servants to put an extra bed in my room and –"

"Elphie, you've been so good to me through all of this, and I'm truly grateful for that, but really, I'll be fine by myself."

"O-Okay. As long as you're sure."

Galinda squeezed her friend's hands. "Trust me, I'm sure."

That night, while Elphaba was sleeping peacefully, she heard the sound of her window being open. Shivering because of the evening air, she opened her eyes and forced herself upright.

"H-Hello?" she asked in the darkness.

She heard footsteps coming from her left and she turned. "W-Who's there?"

She felt someone grab her hand and pull her from her bed. Someone else grabbed her around her waist and hold her hands behind her back. "Who are you?"

"Silence!" a gruff voice said.

Elphaba was about to scream out, but someone clasped their hand over her mouth. She felt something hit the back of her head with such a great force that it knocked her out.

* * *

><p>"Princess Elisa?" Sir Iyeron said gently, approaching the young princess.<p>

"Yes?" Elisa asked, looking over the top of her book.

"I have something to tell you," he said gravely.

"What is it?"

"Um… well… you see…"

"Just spit it out."

"Princess Elisa, I regret to tell you that your father, the king, has died in battle."

Elisa's eyes widened, begging the news not to be true. "N-No."

"I'm terribly sorry," Sir Iyeron bowed. "Your Hi- Majesty."

Elisa couldn't believe her ears. Her father was dead. He was the only family she had left. She was not expected to be the queen. She wasn't ready. She couldn't do it. She ran out the room, crying her eyes out.

* * *

><p>Lanie slowly opened her eyes, registering two things. One, that she was only wearing her nightdress and it was below freezing. And two, she was in some sort of prison cell.<p>

"Well, well, well," a cold voice said.

Lanie looked around, not seeing anyone. "W-Who's there."

A figure stepped out of the shadows. Even in the dark, Lanie could make out the guard uniform he was wearing.

Gulping, she looked at the guard, trying to give him the hardest, coldest look she could.

* * *

><p>Fiyero lay on the dirty ground of the forest. He had been fortunate enough to escape the bombing. He cried as he thought of all of those who weren't as fortunate. Elenus. Poor Galinda. Fiyero knew the blonde must be extremely heartbroken. He softly smiled to himself as he remembered how excited Galinda was for the wedding. The were going to have doves and everything. He tried to get up, but stopped when he felt a stabbing, shooting pain coming from his right arm. He had been injured. He had been able to stop the bleeding, which was a good sign… hopefully. Wobbling to his feet, he made up his mind that he was going to find some way back to Elphaba.<p>

"I'm coming Fae," he announced to no one in particular.

That all changed when he heard horses behind him and a single gun shot rang out in the quiet forest.

* * *

><p><strong>Same rules apply: Depending on the number of reviews I get, the characters MAY make it out of the story alive. But it all depends on the reviews. So… REVIEW!<strong>


	8. Prison

**MWAHAHA! I know. I'm SO Wicked. But you all say 'Wicked' as if it were a _bad_ thing. I get it. But still… Though… I'm not making any promises about the ending… Yes, I was blackmailing all of you into reviewing! BOW DOWN BEFORE THE WICKED QUEEN!**

**Ultimate Queen of Cliffies: Okay… I see your point. But I have a magical royal pink scepter. TAKE THAT! *Does awesome pose* But I'm not afraid of you or the 9 ways you're gonna kill me if I kill off everyone (Yes, I counted).**

* * *

><p>Fiyero turned around and gasped, ducking to the ground. He heard and felt the bullet whiz past his ear, missing him by a hair. A very, <em>very<em> skinny hair.

"Halt!" a voice called out. It was one of the riders speeding towards him.

Fiyero, too tired and scared to protest, obeyed and stayed perfectly still. The horses caught up to him. Daring to look up, Fiyero saw two tall men standing over him. It was still dark, so he couldn't make out any of their features, but they looked extremely intimidating.

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" the first man said.

"It's the Crowned Prince of the Vinkus," the second man said.

The first man roughly grabbed Fiyero by the back of his shirt. "Hm… we could use him."

"For what?"

"You nimrodic fool!" the first man hissed. "He's the Crowned Prince of the Vinkus in Oz."

"Wh- oh," the second man said, realizing what he meant. They hit Fiyero extremely hard in the back of the head and threw him onto the backs of one of the horses and rode off. Fiyero laid limp against the horse's back, not moving a muscle.

* * *

><p>Elphaba slowly opened her eyes, her head throbbing. She tried to move, but found her hands were tied behind her back. She was kneeling on a cold, damp floor. She sniffed. The scent of death filled her nose, making her shudder. She lifted her head, trying to hear something or someone that would help her identify where she was. The sound of hard boots hitting the floor grabbed her attention. The place was very echoy, so it was hard to tell where the sound was coming from. Finally, the footsteps stopped to her left.<p>

Turning her head, she blankly gazed up at the person standing next to her. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice dark.

"My name is not important at the moment," the dark, male voice said.

"Tell me," Elphaba hissed.

Not answering, the man pulled her up by her hair, causing Elphaba to scream at the top of her lungs.

"Oz," the man muttered, taking a deep breath.

"Let me go!" Elphaba shouted.

"Now, if you cooperate, no one will harm you."

Elphaba wasn't a fool. She kicked back, her heal hitting the man extremely hard in the shin.

The man stumbled back, crying out in pain as he clutched his now-bruised shin. "Letus!"

A man in a guard uniform quickly appeared, a whip in his hand.

"She's not cooperating," the man said in a whiny voice.

"Rit, you're such a baby," Letus muttered.

"Just shut up and do your job!"

Letus stepped forward next to Elphaba and raised his whip. A crack, a scream, and a maniacal laugh filled the air.

"Tell us where it is!" Letus yelled.

"I d-don't know what you're talking about," Elphaba whispered.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! Where is the Grimmerie?"

Elphaba gasped. So that's what this was about. They kidnapped her to get her to tell them where the Grimmerie is. She knew it was safe at the castle, where Galinda and Castie were.

_Galinda_, Elphaba thought. She hoped the blonde was alright. With the news of Elenus' death still fresh in her mind, the blonde was so lost and broken.

Another crack and pain spread throughout Elphaba's body.

"Yero," she whispered brokenly.

Letus and Rit crackled. "You think you're husband's going to save you? Well too bad! Your husband's dead!"

"No," Elphaba whispered.

"It's true."

"FIIIIIIIYYYYYYYEEEEERRRROOOOO!" Elphaba screamed.

"Screaming isn't going to save you," the two men sneered, leaving Elphaba lying on the ground, awful whip lashes covering most of her back.

"No," she whispered, closing her eyes.

* * *

><p>Galinda was sitting on her bed, Castie sitting next to her. She was beginning to get over the death of Elenus. She knew she would never fully recover, but she was at the point where she could say his name and think about him without bursting into tears.<p>

"I'm going to check up on Elphie," Galinda said, skidding off her bed and walking away.

"Okay," Castie smiled, watching the blonde leave.

Galinda walked to Elphaba's bedroom and slowly knocked on the door. "Elphaba?"

Not getting a response, she knocked again. "Elphie?"

Still nothing. Galinda, getting worried, opened the door. "Elphie?"

Elphaba's bed was empty, which was very unlike her. Ever since Fiyero left for war, Elphaba spent most of her time in bed.

Galinda was very worried now. Turning the knob and pushing the door open, she looked around, finding her friend's room completely empty.

"Elphie? P-Please tell me you're in here… hiding," Galinda whispered, walking into the room. She turned and saw Elphaba's bed. It wasn't made. It looked as if she –

_NO!_

Galinda bolted out of the room, her eyes popping out of her skull. "CASTIE!"

Castie shot out of her chair, surprised by the blonde shouting her name. "Glin, what is it?"

"Elphie's gone! She's been kidnapped!"

"Whoa, slow down. What?"

"Elphie's been kidnapped. I know she has!"

The blonde burst into fresh tears. Castie quickly collected the sobbing woman in a hug. With Fiyero, Elenus, Lanie and now Elphaba, she didn't know how many people Galinda could take loosing.

"We'll find her," Castie promised. "I know we will."

* * *

><p>Princess Elisa was sitting upright in her chair in front of her mirror, as stiff as a plank. She bit her lip, determined not to shed anymore tears. She hated this war. She hated what this war did to her, personally. She just wished it would be over.<p>

"Wait," she said out loud to herself. "What's stopping me? I'm the Queen now. Urg, I'm the Queen now. Never though I'd hear myself saying at age 14. Wait, am I talking to myself?"

Shaking all thoughts from her head, Elisa ran out of her room, determination sprinkling in her eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>IMPORTANT NEWS: I'm co-writing my newest story, 'Hear No Evil, See No Evil' with the Ozmazifying ExoticPeachBlossom. It's on my profile, so be sure to read and review it! If we get enough reviews on that story… I'm still finalizing my decision about not killing off everyone. Reviews on 'Hear No Evil, See No Evil' would REALLY help!<strong>

**Also, in HNESNE (it's new acronym), Megan and I are doing a special AN at the end of every chapter called "Megan's Corner of Useless Information". It's information that you're never gonna need to know in life, but it's still interesting to know. She comes up with all the information and sends them to me, so be sure to check those out!**


	9. No

**The Wizard Of Wicked: I accept bribes in the forms of cupcakes, anything pink and sparkly, and 'Wicked' tickets! **

**I'mFlyingHighDefyingGravity: NO! Don't kill me off! Please!**

**Elphaba'sGirl: Point taken.**

**Elphaba Thropp of Fiyero: I'm not killing and kidnapping EVERYONE! Nothing happened to Galinda and Castie!**

* * *

><p>Fiyero ran as fast as he could. He didn't know how he escaped. All he remembered was waking up strapped to a chair, which wasn't his ideal way of waking up. He suddenly remembered what was happening and knew he had to get back to Elphaba. But being tied to a chair really didn't help things. He saw the guards who kidnapped him and growled.<p>

"He's awake," one of them whispered.

The rest to all a big blur to Fiyero. He was running through the forest, dodging low tree branches and jumping over tree stumps. His left arm was killing him. He would get it checked out soon, but first he needed to find Elphaba. He stopped when he saw a large, grey, eerie looking building. He was sure Elphaba was in there. Sneaking inside, he soon found his way to the dungeons. Spotting the key ring on the far wall, he tiptoed over, but stopped when he saw a sleeping guard. Seeing a rifle laying beside him, Fiyero grabbed it and quickly hit the guard in the back of the head with the butt of the gun. Knocking him out and thinking quickly, he switched clothes with the guard in case anyone else showed up and grabbed the key ring and ran down the hall, searching for his wife.

* * *

><p>Elphaba was lying on the floor, blood and bruises covering most of her body. Her breathing was shallow, almost as if every breath hurt her. Her head was pounding. Slowly opening her eyes, she forced herself into a sitting position. Her hands were no longer tied behind her back, thank Oz. She sat there in silence, listening to the water drip from a crack in the ceiling. She heard hard footsteps approaching her and she stiffened. Those soldiers were coming again.<p>

The footsteps grew louder and louder until they stopped outside her cell door. Hearing the keys jingling in the lock, she inches further away from the door. The door slowly opened, and the footsteps stepped inside.

"What do you want?" Elphaba asked.

She felt the guard approach her and she moved away. "Get away from me!"

"Elphaba," the guard said.

Elphaba snarled, making the hair on the back of the guard's neck stand up.

"Elphaba," the guard repeated, kneeling beside her.

The guard put his hand on her cheek, but she slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me!"

Trying once more, the guard grabbed Elphaba's hand to his face. He held his breath as Elphaba's fingers delicately traced over his face.

"Who are you?" Elphaba whispered, pulling her hand away.

"Fae, it's me. Fiyero."

"Y-You're lying."

"I… what?"

"You're lying. You're not Fiyero," Elphaba said, hot, angry tears quickly forming in her eyes.

Fiyero looked down. He still had the same feet, the same hands, and the same brainless head. "Fae, it's me."

"Don't you dare play these stupid games with me! Fiyero's dead! Don't you dare come to me claiming and pretending to be him!" Elphaba's voice was rising with every word she spoke.

"Fae, I would never play games with you like this," Fiyero whispered. "It really is me. The same Fiyero who found you in the Governor's Mansion, the same Fiyero who danced with you at the ball, and the same Fiyero…" Fiyero gulped before finishing. "The same Fiyero who had to wear a pink, frilly dress."

"W-Who told you those things?" Elphaba asked harshly.

"Pardon?" Fiyero asked.

"Who told you those things? Who helped you rehearse what to say to me?"

"No one told me anything, Fae. These are memories. I'm here to rescue you."

"Just shut up! Fiyero's dead. He's never coming back."

"Elphaba, I'm not dead," Fiyero insisted.

"Leave!" Elphaba shouted, conjuring up an energy ball.

Fiyero took a deep breath, knowing this was coming. "Elphaba, please. You must believe. I'm right here. I'm real. I'm alive. I'm not going anywhere without you. Please, believe and see me."

Elphaba obviously took that last comment the wrong way and slapped Fiyero across the face.

"Okay, I guess I deserved that," Fiyero said, realizing his mistake as he rubbed his sore cheek. "But, Fae…"

"Don't you call me that! That was… Fiyero's special name for me," Elphaba whispered.

"I'm right here, Fae. I'm never going to leave you."

"What's going on in here?" a loud voice bellowed.

Fiyero quickly wrapped a protective arm around Elphaba as the cell door swung open, slamming into the wall behind it. A large, round guard entered the room, a whip in one hand and a gun in the other. "I knew it."

Fiyero stood up and helped Elphaba to her feet. Surprisingly, Elphaba didn't protest, much to Fiyero's relief.

"It seems like there's only one way to do this now," the guard said, holding up his gun.

"You'll have to go through me first," Fiyero said, spinning Elphaba behind him and drawing his sword.

"Very well. Gun always beats sword anyway." He pulled the trigger.

* * *

><p>Elisa snuck away from the palace under the cover of the night. Wearing a brown cloak to cover over her hair and nightgown, she made her way down to the dungeon. She knew who was down there and she needed her help.<p>

It was easy for her to sneak into the dungeon and grab the key ring since the guard never did their jobs properly. Turning the corner down the corridor, she stopped in front of the last cell door. Slipping the key into the lock, she turned the key and the door opened. The person inside turned around and gave the princess of the Rose Kingdom a hard glare.

"What do you want?" the prisoner asked.

"Do you want to live or die?" Elisa asked, not appreciating the sarcasm.

The prisoner froze. "That's exactly what I thought," Elisa said, entering the cell and offering the prisoner her hand.

"Why are you helping me? Who are you?" the prisoner asked as they walked outside.

"I need your help. I'm Elisa and I know who you are… Princess Khylana of Oz." She turned around to look at the girl behind her, her piercing blue eyes staring into her chocolate ones.

"Y-You've heard of me?" Lanie asked.

Elisa rolled her eyes, not feeling like answering that question. "Yes, but that's not the point. The point is that I need you help ending this war."

"B-But, w-what can we do?"

"There's a way we can just stop everything. But I can't do it alone," Elisa said, silently pleading with the Ozian princess.

"O-Okay. I'll help you," Lanie smiled.

"Great! Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me!" Elisa smiled, hugging her new friend.

"Same here," Lanie said, slowly returning the hug, her mind elsewhere as she worried about her parents.

* * *

><p><strong>*Maniacal laugh* MWAHAHAHA! The Wicked Queen strikes again. Where will she strike next?<strong>


	10. Bombed

**I love how you all start assuming the worst. It's the best!**

**NellytheActress: Well, you're right about that.**

**ExoticPeachBlossom: Thank you!**

**Elphaba'sGirl: I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT KILLING YERO! I'M NOT _THAT_ WICKED!**

**Elphabalover101: Hmm, I never thought of it like that. Yes, I think you are.**

* * *

><p>"NOOOOO!" Fiyero shouted as he pushed Elphaba out of the way. Elphaba stumbled away, not expecting to be pushed. Fiyero jumped out of the way of the bullet, nearing missing it by a hair. He stood in front of Elphaba, protecting her against the guard.<p>

"You fools," the guard sneered.

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you shall get," Fiyero said bravely, drawing his sword.

"Yero?" Elphaba whispered, taking a small step towards Fiyero.

Fiyero turned around. "Fae."

Elphaba slowly lifted her hand to his face and gently traced over his features. "It is you."

Fiyero smiled as he pulled Elphaba in for a hug.

"I… I thought I would never see you again," Elphaba whispered, tears streaming down her cheek.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," Fiyero smirked, kissing her forehead.

"Good," Elphaba whispered. "Because I don't want do."

Having seen and heard enough, the guard raised his gun and aimed at Fiyero's heart. Fiyero turned around just as the gun was fired and quickly ducked.

"Yero," Elphaba whispered.

"It's alright, Fae. Just stay here," Fiyero whispered, giving Elphaba a final kiss before pulling a gun out of his back pocket.

"Yero, no!" Elphaba called, begging for her husband to come back.

"Stay there. I'll be right back!" Fiyero called over his shoulder.

Elphaba shrank back into the corner. She heard the sounds of guns being fired and she shrieked. She prayed to the Unnamed God that Fiyero would be alright. She knew there could be only one winner. And that winner had to be Fiyero.

After a few minutes, the gunshots stopped.

"Fiyero?" Elphaba whispered, slowly pushing herself to her feet. Not getting a response, she tried again. "Fiyero?" Still nothing. "No," Elphaba muttered, sinking to her knees. "No, no, no!"

* * *

><p>"Okay, first things first," Elisa said as she and Lanie ran away. "We need a plan on how to stop this war."<p>

"How _do_ you stop a war?" Lanie questioned, struggling to catch her breath.

"_That's_ what we need to figure out."

"Well, let's start small. First, what is this war over?"

"That's easy. The jewels in the Vinkus."

"Right."

"And with the jewels from the Vinkus, General Osmium will have enough power to take over Oz," Elisa concluded.

"General Osmium? Isn't your father the king?"

Elisa bit her lip. "My father is dead. Until I am old enough to take the thrown, his head general, which would be General Osmium, would be King Regent."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lanie whispered, pulling Elisa in for a hug.

Elisa pulled away. "It's alright. Let's just focus on the task at hand."

Lanie thought for a moment before blurting out, "The Grimmerie!"

"Pardon?"

"The Grimmerie!"

"What's the Grimmerie?"

"An ancient book of spells. We could use that to help us!"

"Where is it?"

"Back at my castle in Kiamo Ko."

"That's in Oz. We can't go there!" Elisa protested.

"Why not?" Lanie asked, confused.

Elisa crossed her arms over her chest. "In case you haven't notice, we're in a war. And I'm the princess of Oz's enemy country. I can't be seen anywhere near Oz, much less a castle."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"No," Elisa said after a very long pause. "Okay, supposing we get back to Oz safely and get the Grimmerie. What are we going to do next?"

"We can think about that when we get that far!"

"No! We need to think about this now! Does brainlessness run in your family?"

"Do you want to stop this war or not? Because the only way to do that is to trust me and help me out. Do you trust me?"

"Well, if you can't trust the princess of your enemy country, who can you trust?" Elisa shrugged, grabbing hands with Lanie. Lanie muttered a spell under her breath and they vanished into thin air.

* * *

><p>"A-Are you sure about this?" Arlis asked, looking down at the bomb in his hands.<p>

"You pathetic wimp," Gyra muttered. "Just do it."

"But… her family…"

"Arlis," Gyra said in a hushed whisper. "Do you think I want to do this? You think that I want to take part in killing innocent people?"

"Well, you seem to not let this bother you."

"I does bother me, Arlis. It bothers me more then you'll ever know. I had a family too, Arlis. You know I did."

Arlis closed his eyes. He knew how hard it was for Gyra to bring up her family. "Gyra-"

"I had a mother, a father, and a little sister. We loved each other so much," Gyra sniffed. "They were kill… executed because of my stupid mistake." She turned to Arlis. "Succeed in this task, you will still have a change to go back to your family. Fail, and, well, you know what will happen."

Arlis nodded. _I'm so sorry, Lanie_. Sneaking up to the castle with Gyra by his side, he took out a matchbox from his back pocket. Pulling out a match and lighting it, he lit the bomb and threw it into an open window in the castle.

"Let's go!" Gyra said, pulling on Arlis' arm.

Arlis ran behind her. A split second, an explosion, and then… silence.

* * *

><p>"We're here!" Lanie announced as the arrived at Kiamo Ko castle. She knelt down on the grass, trying to catch her breath.<p>

"Oh my," Elisa muttered, looking at the sight in front of her.

"What?" Lanie breathed. She followed Elisa's gaze and gasped. "No…"

"The castle was… bombed."

Tears quickly formed in Lanie's eyes as she looked at the remains of her home. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around. She saw Elisa standing next to her, a look of pure concern on her face.

"I'm so sorry," Elisa whispered.

Lanie nodded. "T-Thanks. I-I'll see if I can find my family. You look for the Grimmerie."

Elisa saluted. "What does it look like?"

"It's a large, brown, leather-bound book."

"Got it!" Elisa said as she ran after her friend.

Lanie cried as she searched around the rubble, clinging to the false hope that her godmother and aunt and anyone else who was in the palace would be alive.

_Please_, she prayed. _Don't leave me. Please don't leave me._

* * *

><p><strong>Come on. I warned you all before the story started. CLIFFIES! And lots of them. I know you guys want to kill me, and I completely understand why. Reviews make me extremely happy, which means that the next chapter might get happier.<strong>


	11. Silence

**Elphaba'sGirl: Thank you for not stopping your reviews!**

**I'mFlyingHighDefyingGravity: That's for me to know and for you to figure out.**

**The Wizard Of Wicked: Thank you for not wanting to kill me. And… I can't tell you.**

**Elphabalover101: I reference more than I think.**

**ExoticPeachBlossom: Hmm… yes, very interesting. I like that idea. I'll use it! BRING ON HURRICANE NIA!**

**NellytheActress: Alright, Miss Tough-judge-who-wants-to-be-a-queen-but-is-really-a-duchess.**

**Cliffy… because I can.**

* * *

><p>Fiyero laid motionless on the ground. "I'm dead. I'm dead, I died, I'm dead, I died," he kept muttering to himself. After a few minutes, once he realized that he wasn't dead, slowly pushed himself to his feet. Next to him, the guard he was fighting laid dead. Wow, he thought to himself. Did I do that? I must have. "Fae!" he shouted, desperately trying to locate his wife.<p>

"Fiyero?" a soft whisper came from across the dark room.

Fiyero quickly got up and followed the sound of the soft voice. He found Elphaba curled up in a small corner of the room, shaking in fear. He hurried to her side and knelt down next to her.

"Yero?" Elphaba asked hopefully, slowly turning towards him.

"I'm here, Fae. I'm right here," Fiyero whispered, taking her hand and guiding it to his cheek.

Elphaba's fingers slowly traced over the contour of his face. She quickly threw her arms around her husband, hugging the life out of him. "Thank Oz your alive."

"I'm alright, Fae."

Elphaba buried her face in Fiyero's shoulder, believing that if she let go, she would never see him again. "W-We need to find Lanie," Elphaba whispered, her face still buried in Fiyero's shoulder.

Nodding, Fiyero helped Elphaba to her feet and guided her out of the prison.

* * *

><p>Elisa and Lanie were still scanning through the rubble. Lanie was near tears, not being able to find her aunt and godmother.<p>

"Lanie?" Elisa whispered, placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. Lanie turned around, tears filling her eyes.

"We'll find them. Don't worry," Elisa smiled.

Lanie nodded. "I hope so."

"Lanie!" a voice called.

As soon as Lanie turned around, a blur of pink and blonde engulfed her in a hug. "Thank Lurline your alive!"

Another person wrapped her arms around her. Turning, Lanie saw Galinda and Castie hugging her. Overcome with joy, she started sobbing. "You're alive."

"Are you alright?" Galinda asked, pulling away and looking at Lanie.

"I'm fine," Lanie whispered, refusing to go of the blonde. "Where are Mama and Papa?"

Castie's face turned solemn. "We don't know. We haven't heard from your father and your mother was captured."

"No," Lanie whispered.

Galinda quickly gathered Lanie into another hug, tenderly stroking her hair as her tears subsided. "It's okay. I'm sure they're fine." Though she tried, Galinda couldn't believe her own words.

"Lanie? I found this old book and it matches your description," Elisa said, walking up to Lanie with a large brown book in her hands.

"Who's this?" Galinda asked, looking at the new girl.

"E-Elisa," Elisa said, not knowing if she could trust these people or not.

"She's with me. She was helping me," Lanie defended her friend.

"Okay," Castie said, eyeing Elisa up and down.

"You found the book," Lanie smiled.

"Yeah… I just said that," Elisa said, giving her friend a smirk.

"Right," Lanie muttered, searching the book for the right spell. "Found it. Now all we have to do is…"

"Lanie!" a male voice called. Lanie turned around and gasped. "Papa?"

"Lanie!" Fiyero called. Smiling, he let go of Elphaba's arm and ran to his daughter.

"Papa," Lanie whispered, crying into her father's shoulder.

"It's okay, Lanie," Fiyero said soothingly.

Gently pulling away, Lanie looked behind her father and saw her mother standing alone. "Mama!" she exclaimed, running to her mother.

Elphaba looked up and smiled. She opened her arms as Lanie ran towards her. "Lanie!"

"I'm so sorry. I don't hate you," Lanie sobbed, wrapping her arms tightly around her mother and crying into her shoulder.

"I know, sweetie. I know," Elphaba whispered, kissing her forehead. She soothingly stroked the teenager's hair, trying to calm her. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Lanie slowly calmed down in her mother's arms. Elphaba smiled softly, kissing the top of Lanie's head. "It's okay."

"LOOK OUT!" Fiyero shouted, pushing Elphaba and Lanie to the ground as an explosion shook the ground. Elphaba quickly wrapped her arms around Lanie, trying to protect her from anything that might fall from the sky. Another explosion shook the ground, causing everyone to scream.

"Fiyero!" Elphaba called.

"I'm right here," Fiyero said. He crouched down next to her, wrapping his arms around her. "It's okay."

"What was that?" Lanie whispered.

Another explosion and more screaming. The explosions seemed to be growing louder and louder, meaning they were getting closer and closer.

Lanie quivered in her mother's arms. Gasping, she suddenly realized something. She didn't have the Grimmerie anymore.

"The book," she whispered, gently squirming out of her mother's arms.

"Lanie!" Elphaba shouted, pulling her daughter back. "Stay down!"

Obeying, Lanie shrank back down. Once the explosions stopped, Fiyero helped Elphaba and Lanie to their feet. Blinking her eyes, Lanie saw a familiar figure standing a few feet away from her.

"Arlis," she growled.

"Lanie, I…" Arlis began.

"What are you doing here?" Lanie snarled. A pause and her eyes widened, realization smacking her across the face. "It was you, wasn't it? You bombed my castle and attacked us just now!"

Arlis looked down at his feet. He didn't mean to hurt Lanie, but it was the only way he could make sure his family stayed safe. "I didn't mean to," he tried to defend himself.

"You didn't mean to attack us?" Lanie asked incredulously.

"Lanie, please, I…" Arlis stopped. Looking down, he saw a large, brown, leather bound book. Running over to it, he picked it up and looked at the cover. The Grimmerie. The generals' words rang in his mind.

_Whatever you do, do not come back here without the Grimmerie. That's what we need. Fail at this task and everyone you love will die a horrible and painful death._

This is what they wanted. He had succeeded. Well… almost succeeded.

"Arlis!" Lanie snarled, thrashing out of her mother's arms.

"Lanie!" Elphaba called, reaching for her. Fiyero quickly pulled her back and wrapped her in a protective hug.

"Fae," Fiyero whispered.

"No, Yero! Let me go!" Elphaba shouted.

"I lost you once. I don't want to lose you again. Please," Fiyero begged her.

Slowly, but surely, Elphaba calmed down. Fiyero lovingly stroked her hair and smiled. Kissing her forehead, he whispered, "Thank you."

"You evil jerk!" Lanie yelled.

"This is the book of ancient spells," Arlis muttered to himself, completely ignoring Lanie as he admired the cover.

"Arlis!" Lanie shouted, her anger boiling over inside of her. Elisa appeared behind her, trying to keep her friend's temper at bay.

Arlis quickly muttered the first spell he saw. The sky darkened and the ocean roared, sounding as mighty as a royal lion.

Growling, Lanie created a fireball and hurled it at Arlis. Ducking, Arlis avoided the fireball. This went on for a while, Lanie throwing fireballs and Arlis avoiding them. Tired and about to give up, Lanie sank to her knees. Arlis grinned wickedly. This was his chance. And he was going to take it.

Muttering another spell, Lanie was lifted into the air. Arlis pointed his finger towards the precipice that fell into the rocks of the beach. Lanie looked up and realized what was happening.

"Arlis, put me down this instant!" she commanded.

"I don't think I can, _Princess_," Arlis sneered.

"Oh, I'll princess you, you little…" Elisa snarled, taking a defensive stance.

"You stay out of this," Arlis spat, glaring at Elisa. He turned his attention back to Lanie, who was still struggling against the magic holding her. Finally, gathering all the strength she had left, she broke the magic barrier. She fell to the ground, taking in deep breaths of fresh air. She looked up and saw Arlis approaching her. She looked behind her, noticing the long way down to the violent waves crashing along the rocks of the beach.

"Looks like this is goodbye," Arlis said, standing face to face with Lanie.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lanie saw that they were standing dangerously close to the precipice.

"Any last words?" Arlis asked.

"Yeah," Lanie smiled. "Bah-bye!" Raising her hands, she pushed Arlis off the cliff.

"I will not go down alone!" Thinking quickly, Arlis grabbed Lanie's wrist and pulled her down with him.

"LANIE!" Fiyero, Elphaba, Galinda, Castie and Elisa shouted.

A scream, a crash, and then... dead silence.

* * *

><p><strong>Huh, would you look at that… a cliff for a cliffy. I'm so funny! *Crackles* Review with you favorite lines, please? From this chapter or from the story so far.<strong>

**I'm officially on spring break for the next week and a half! Yes!**


	12. Flying

**Elphaba'sGirl: I am very much aware of that.**

**Wicked For Good (Guest): Um… sorry. Monkey (Monqué) was sort of a one-time thing. I only used her to do a "Nia". She's not coming back. :-(**

**ExoticPeachBlossom: Now that you mention it… maybe. *Sends Elphie glare back at you* But there are many other reasons why there was a cliffy. *Smirks***

**woodland59: Arlis is… Arlis. And I know you hate him.**

**Elphabalover101: I didn't do ANYTHING to you! Nothing bad happened to Princess Elisa! And why do you keep calling me "wicked" like it's a bad thing?**

**NellytheActress: I AM NOT A WHIMPY QUEEN! AND I KNOW ALL ABOUT CHARACTER DEATH!**

**I'mFlyingHighDefyingGravity: I don't know how you'd magic spell me. I'm the one with the Grimmerie. *Holds up Grimmerie*. So… HA!**

* * *

><p>Everyone was dead silent. No one dared to move or make a sound. Elphaba turned and buried her face in Fiyero's shoulder. Fiyero's hand quickly rose and soothingly rubbed circles on her back.<p>

"Yero," Elphaba whispered brokenly.

"It's alright, Fae," Fiyero whispered.

"Lanie…"

Fiyero pulled her closer to him. Hot tears streamed down Elphaba's face. Fiyero hugged her tightly as he tried to kiss her tears away, but they kept coming.

"Look!" Galinda exclaimed, pointing to the cliff.

Everyone watched as Lanie flew up, landing gracefully on the grass. She immediately ran to her mother and quickly wrapped her arms around her.

Elphaba stiffened, but relief swept over her when Fiyero whispered "Lanie" in her ear.

"Oh, Lanie," Elphaba whispered, hugging her daughter close.

"Mama," Lanie whispered back.

Fiyero joined the family group hug. Everyone smiled as they saw the Tigulaars all happily reunited. It was the perfect family moment. Absolutely nothing could ruin it.

"What happened to Arlis?" Castie asked.

Well… almost nothing.

Lanie immediately stiffened. Elphaba gently tightened her grip around her daughter.

"Lanie," the emerald princess whispered, kissing the top of Lanie's head.

Galinda and Castie peered over the edge of the cliff.

"Oh," Galinda muttered, seeing the unmoving body of Arlis lying on the sand of the beach.

"Never mind," Castie muttered.

Moaning, Lanie buried her face in her mother's chest. Elphaba rubbed circles on Lanie's back, trying to comfort her.

"It's okay, Lanie," Fiyero whispered, pulling her into his arms. "We know."

In all honestly, Fiyero didn't have a clue, but he thought he sounded comforting, so he rolled with it anyway.

"He was the only friend I've ever had," Lanie whispered softly.

Sighing, Fiyero held her closer. He knew how lonely Lanie was growing up, and he knew that Arlis was her only friend, no matter what he and Elphaba did to try and stop her from seeing him. Even though she had lied about him for six months, he was still there for her. Well… he was there for her before he turned on her and attacked their castle and separated their family and broke her heart and… everything else.

"You have me," Elisa whispered, kneeling next to Lanie.

Lanie looked up and gave Elisa a watery smile. "Thank you, Elisa."

Elisa smiled as she gently wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Wait, where's the Grimmerie?" Lanie asked, shooting up in her father's arms.

"Ooh, found it!" Galinda exclaimed, running to pick up the book lying in the grass.

"Arlis must have dropped it," Elisa whispered as Galinda handed her the book.

"Wait… Lanie, how did you get back up?" Fiyero asked, looking down at the teenage girl in his arms.

"I flew," Lanie answered simply.

"You flew?" Elphaba asked.

Lanie nodded. "I learnt that spell when I was younger. Remember?"

_Lanie scrunched up her nose as she squinted at the strange words. Frowning, she turned the page of the large, brown leather bound book, trying to see if there was a spell written in standard Ozian._

_Inwardly, the six year old knew she wasn't supposed to be reading from the Grimmerie. Her mother had warned her that it was a really powerful magic book, not a toy._

_Smiling, she found a spell that looked easy enough. She didn't know what it would do, but she was eager to find out. "Avan ta a tum da. Avan ta a tum da. Avan ta a tum da," she chanted over and over again, waiting for something exciting to happen. Suddenly, she felt her feet rising from the ground. Looking down, she noticed how the ground was becoming farther and farther away from her. She smiled as she realized her accomplishment. She was flying._

_"Weeeeee!" the young child exclaimed as she swam through the air, enjoying the view. She stopped when she heard soft footsteps approaching the room. Stilling, she listened. The door opened, revealing who the person was. Elphaba._

_Lanie stayed completely still and completely silent as she watched her mother walk into the room. One wrong move and her cover would be blown, which would result in a very long, very serious talk._

_Elphaba had a soft smile painted on her elegant lips as she slowly made her way into the room. Elphaba walked to her desk and her fingers grazed the desktop, looking for something. She stopped when her fingers bumped into the open Grimmerie._

That's odd_, Elphaba thought to herself. _I didn't leave this book open.

_Lanie watched from above as her mother's face contorted in confusion. If she were caught now, she could be dead for sure._

_"Fiyero!" Elphaba called._

Oh, great!_ Lanie thought._

_"Yes, Fae?" Fiyero asked, coming into the room. He stopped when he saw his daughter flying high above Elphaba's head. Lanie placed her pointer finger over her lips, motioning for her father not to blow her cover. Holding back a chuckle, Fiyero turned back to his wife. "You called?"_

_"Did you leave this book open?" Elphaba asked, her fingers tracing over the printed letters._

_"No," Fiyero said, shaking his head._

_"Was Galinda in here?"_

_"Galinda's been out with Castie all day, probably shopping or doing other stuff girls like to do."_

_Elphaba still looked confused. "Then who…?"_

_"Fae, maybe you just left the book open by accident," Fiyero suggested, wrapping his arms around his wife in a caring hug._

_"Yero, you know I can't read from the Grimmerie," Elphaba said, dramatically rolling her sightless eyes._

_"Oh, right. Sorry," Fiyero said sheepishly, kissing Elphaba's nose. He looked up and saw Lanie yawn, tired from floating. Unable to hold it in anymore, Fiyero let out a small chuckle._

_"And what is so funny?" Elphaba asked, slowly raising her head. She would have been looking into Fiyero's eyes if she had been able to see._

_"N-Nothing," Fiyero managed to say through his laughter._

_Elphaba frowned, hating it when Fiyero lied to her. "Yero…"_

_"One second," Fiyero smiled, slowly moving away from Elphaba. He waited as Lanie's eyes slowly closed. As she fell asleep, she slowly began to descend. Fiyero smiled as Lanie slowly fell into his arms. "I think this little one may know more than we give her credit for."_

_"A-Are you saying that Lanie read from the Grimmerie?" Elphaba asked doubtfully._

_"I believe so," Fiyero chuckled, wiping strands of hair away from Lanie's forehead._

_"What was she doing?"_

_"Flying. Right above your head, as a matter of fact."_

_"I thought I sensed someone else in here," Elphaba muttered to herself. "But I warned her about reading from the Grimmerie." Elphaba's fingers moved as she traced over the print again. "It's a really powerful book. It can be very dangerous and the spells are irreversible and…"_

_"Fae," Fiyero said, stopping Elphaba's rant with a tender kiss. "You know at some point, we're going to have to stop overprotecting Lanie and let her go."_

_"Let her go?" Elphaba repeated._

_"You know what I mean."_

_"Yes, I do," Elphaba smiled, taking Lanie from her husband's arms. "But I'm still going to have a very long and serious talk with Lanie when she wakes up." Elphaba turned on her heals and headed for Lanie's room to put her down for her nap._

_"I'm sure she'll be looking forward to that," Fiyero muttered to himself, unable to stop the smile that was slowly appearing onto his face._

Elphaba smiled as she recalled the memory. "Yes, I remember."

"I'm glad this had all worked out, but we still have a problem," Galinda said gently. Everyone looked up at her. "There's still a war going on. We need to think of a way to stop it."

"General Osmium won't stop until he has total control over the mines of the Vinkus, and probably the rest of Oz with it," Elisa spoke up.

"There's no way to stop him?" Fiyero asked.

Elisa shook her head as she began to pace. "Not that I know of. He's not going to stop until he has total power and control. He's so stubborn that way."

"Well… we have the book of spells," Lanie pointed out, holding the book tightly against her chest. "Maybe we could…"

A scream and everyone turned around.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes… another cliffy. Review with your favorite lines!<strong>

**Also, I posted another (Yes, another) story. It's called 'Mermaid Tails of Love and War'. It's a Fiyeraba (Because when do I write anything else? LOL!) Oh, and it's angsty. Very, ****_VERY_**** angsty. I actually really enjoy writing angst. It's so much fun! I don't know why I didn't start writing angst sooner. Check it out!**


	13. Mourning

**ExoticPeachBlossom: B-But… writing cliffies are so much fun! And you can never take too diligent of notes!**

**NellytheActress: I take it you're happy?**

**woodland59: Yes, Arlis is very much dead. *Sings* GOOD NEWS! HE'S DEAD!**

* * *

><p>Everyone looked up and saw a man holding Elisa around her waist.<p>

"Let me go!" Elisa shouted, trying to twist out of the man's arms.

"Silence, you little brat!" the man growled.

"How dare you talk to me with such disrespectation!" Elisa shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"Unhand her!" Fiyero commanded, pointing his gun at the strange man.

"Never. This little brat is coming with me!" the man shouted.

"Osmium!" Elisa shouted, still trying to twist out of his arms. "Let. Me. Go!"

"You thought that by running away everything would resolve itself?" Osmium hissed in Elisa's ear.

"I didn't run away!" Elisa protested.

"That's right. You committed high treason against your country by helping the enemy!" Osmium bellowed.

Lanie bit her bottom lip.

"I swear to Lurline, Osmium, if you don't let me go this instant, I will have you publically hanged at the gallows," Elisa threatened.

Fiyero was about to say something when footsteps that sounded like a herd of elephants approached them. Looking around, he saw that they were surrounded by Badland soldiers on all sides.

"Yero?" Elphaba whispered, looking up towards her husband's voice.

"It's alright, Fae," Fiyero said, pulling Elphaba close to him.

"Seize her!" Osmium shouted, pointing his gun at Lanie

A few soldiers moved and grabbed Lanie.

"Lanie!" Elphaba shouted as Lanie was torn from her arms.

Lanie grunted as she tried to fight off the guards holding her. She suddenly had an idea. She closed her eyes, thinking of a hot fire. Her hands grew extremely hot and the guards let go of her, shaking out their hands as they tried to cool them off. Lanie angrily glared at Osmium and created a red orb in her hand. Not wasting a single second, she hurled it at Osmium. It hit him in the waist, causing him to cry out and fall to the ground.

"Get him!" Elisa yelled in her royal princess voice.

Soldiers rushed to obey the princess' wishes. They quickly grabbed Osmium and held him back. Elisa stepped up to him and smirked.

"I'm the Princess of the Rose Kingdom," she said, looking Osmium in the eyes. "And I will decide what is high treason in my country. And I think that trying to take over another country without consent from the king is high treason enough. What do you think, Lanie?"

"I couldn't agree with you more," Lanie said. The guards had released her and she ran back to her parents.

"What do you want us to do with him, Princess?" one of the guards holding Osmium back asked.

"Did you not hear what I just said?! I want him publically hanged at the gallows!" Elisa shouted.

"Yes, Your Highness," the guard quickly bowed, dragging Osmium away.

"What happens how?" Lanie asked.

"This war… is over," Elisa declared, smiling.

Fiyero smiled as he hugged Elphaba close and pulled her in for a long, loving kiss. Pulling away, Elphaba laid her head against Fiyero's chest and, closing her eyes, listened to his strong, steady heartbeat.

"We're going to be a happy family again," she whispered softly.

"Yes we are, Fae," Fiyero whispered back. "Yes, we are."

"So... is this goodbye?" Lanie asked, approaching Elisa.

Elisa turned around and smiled. "Of course not. It's just... so long. We'll see each other again." The two friends shared a hug before going their separate ways.

* * *

><p>While the castle in Kiamo Ko being rebuilt, Elphaba, Galinda, Castie, Fiyero and Lanie stayed at Fiyero's other castle in Arjiki Ir. Lanie had locked herself in the first bedroom she saw and didn't come out.<p>

"Lanie?" Elphaba asked, knocking on the door. "Dinner's ready."

She didn't get a response, so she knocked again. "Lanie?"

"Elphie, what's wrong?" Galinda asked, approaching her friend and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Lanie's been in her room all day and she won't come out," Elphaba said, turning towards the blonde.

"Here, let me try something," Galinda smiled. "Lanie?" She knocked on the young princess' door. "Do you wanna build a snowman? Come on, let's go and play! I never see you anymore. Come out the door. It's like you've gone away."

"Glin, it's summer," Elphaba stated dryly.

"Shut it, Elphie!" Galinda hissed before continuing the song. "We used to be best buddies, and now we're not. I wish you would tell me why! Do you wanna build a snowman? It doesn't have to be a snowman..."

"Go away, Aunt Galinda," came Lanie's chocked up voice.

"Okay, bye," Galinda whisper-sang, slowly walking away.

Inside her room, Lanie was sitting on her bed, looking at a dusty picture frame. It was a picture of her and Arlis together. She was leaning against him, her head restringing comfortably on his chest. A soft smile was painted on her lips. Arlis was tenderly stroking her hair. He was also smiling, looking down at her. She had managed to salvage the photo from the wreckage. Even though the glass was broken and the frame had a major clip in it's upper right hand corner, Lanie still decided to keep the photo. She couldn't believe she was mourning over Arlis. Why was she mourning over the death of someone who tried to have her and her family killed? Tears slowly filled her eyes and spilled out onto her cheek. Lanie quickly wiped them away.

**3 days later…**

"Lanie?" Galinda whispered, knocking on the young princess' door. "Do you wanna build a snowman? Or ride our bike around the halls? I think some company is overdue. I've started talking to the pictures on the walls! Hang in there, Joan."

Galinda huffed at not getting a response. She was trying to coax Lanie into coming out of her room. It's been three days. What could she possibly be doing? "It gets a little lonely. All these empty rooms. Just watching the hours tick by..." She began to click her tongue, mimicking a clock. After she began to annoy even herself and walked away.

"Yero?" Elphaba asked, slowly walking into the living room. She stopped when she felt someone take her and squeeze it.

"Fae," Fiyero whispered, pulling Elphaba close.

"I'm worried about Lanie," Elphaba admitted. "She's been in her room for three days. She only comes out to eat and she's not talking to us."

"Maybe she just needs a little time," Fiyero whispered, stroking Elphaba's hair.

Elphaba was about to ask what he meant then suddenly realized what he was talking about. "Okay," she whispered, allowing Fiyero to lead her to the couch and help her sit down.

**One week later…**

Galinda had given up on trying to get Lanie to come out and talk to them.

"Maybe it's because you were singing that song about building a snowman in summer," Elphaba suggested.

"Elphie," Galinda whined. "I know you can't build a snowman in the summer." A dramatic eye roll and she continued. "I was just trying to get Lanie to come out of her room. I didn't see you coming up with a better idea."

"I'll go and try talking to her," Elphaba announced, standing up and walking up the stairs. Sliding her hand against the wall, she found Lanie's closed room door and knocked. "Lanie," she whispered. "Please, I know you're in there. People are asking where you've been. They say, "Have courage," and I'm trying to. I'm right out here for you. Just let me in."

She paused briefly as she realized what she was doing. She was singing that song Galinda sang. Sighing and hoping that it would work, she sang softly, "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

The door opened, revealing a tear-stained faced Lanie. Elphaba opened up her arms, getting ready for the hug she knew was coming. Just as predicted, Lanie ran into her mother's arms. Elphaba held her close, tenderly stroking her hair as Lanie cried.

"There, there, there," Elphaba whispered soothingly. "It's okay."

"Mama?" Lanie whispered.

"Yes?"

"You can't build a snowman in the summer." A short, chocked up laugh and Lanie buried her face in her mother's shoulder again.

* * *

><p><strong>So, I decided to give you guys a little break with the cliffies. You're welcome!<strong>

**Song Used:**

**"Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" from Frozen**


	14. Family

**So, everyone. This is the last chapter. Sorry to end it so abruptly and without a warning like this. Due to a lack of ideas and other stories I have to update, this story must come to a close. I know, I'm sad to see it end, too.**

**The Wizard Of Wicked: Well… love isn't an open door. We all know how it went for Anna and Hans, so… yeah.**

**Elphabalover101: Yes! Happy feelings all around. We just have to include Lanie.**

**NellytheActress: Yes. Very confusing.**

**I'mFlyingHighDefyingGravity: You are very welcome. It's nice to have a cliffy break once in a while. And you are a Queen of Referencing, too!**

**WickedNCIS: Yes, I would LOVE to build a snowman.**

**ExoticPeachBlossom: Mother-daughter moments make life better.**

**Elphaba'sGirl: You're very welcome!**

**woodland59: Yes! Let's all build snowmen together!**

* * *

><p>Elphaba tenderly stroked her daughter's hair as she sobbed in her arms. She understood how she was feeling. Lanie thought she didn't, but she did. She knew what it was like to have someone forcefully taken away from you.<p>

"This is stupid," Lanie whispered, pulling away from her mother and wiping her eyes.

"What is?" Elphaba asked.

"My mourning him."

"Lanie, it's okay to mourn over the loss of someone," Elphaba reassured her, pulling her back into a hug.

"It's not when the person you're mourning tried to kill you and your family," Lanie sobbed.

Elphaba kissed the top of her head. "Everything's okay now."

"No, everything's not okay," Lanie whispered.

Elphaba tightened her hug around Lanie. She was determined not to let her slip away again. "Shh," she whispered soothingly.

Lanie tightened her grip around her mother. Elphaba smiled as she rocked her daughter in her arms. It reminded her of when Lanie was younger and she would run into her arms, squealing and giggling and talking a mile a minute.

_"Mommy!" Lanie yelled, running into the kitchen. Elphaba turned around. And oomph and she felt Lanie wrap her arms around her leg._

_"Hello to you, too, sweetie," Elphaba smiled lifting Lanie into her arms. "And what are you up to?"_

_"Daddy and I are playing ponies!" the toddler giggled._

_"Oh? And where is pony Daddy?" Elphaba chuckled._

_"Over there," Lanie said, pointing to her father, who was coming in the doorway. He was hunched over, his hand pressing against his lower back, a pained look on his face._

_"Fae," Fiyero panted. "Do you still have the address of that chiropractor?"_

_Elphaba didn't even try to suppress her chuckle. "Do you need him?"_

_"Next time, you're playing ponies with Lanie."_

_Elphaba chuckled again._

_"No. I wanna play ponies with Daddy," Lanie pouted._

_Elphaba clucked as she heard Fiyero groan. "Later, princess," Fiyero said, forcing a small smile onto his face._

_"Okay," Lanie giggled, jumping out of her mother's arms and running back up to her room._

Elphaba placed a tender kiss on her daughter's forehead as her tears subsided. Once they finally stopped, Elphaba smiled. "Are you feeling better?" she asked gently.

Lanie nodded against her mother's shoulder and closed her eyes. Elphaba smiled as she kissed Lanie again. She knew they things would never be able to the way they were before the war, but that didn't mean that they still couldn't be one big, happy family.

"Come, dinner's almost ready," Elphaba said, gently prying her daughter away from her.

Nodding, Lanie obediently followed her mother down to the dinning room. She sat down next to her, holding her hand under the table. Elphaba smiled. She finally had her daughter back.

* * *

><p>The royal family was outside enjoying a cool summer day. The day was perfect; the weather was perfect; everything was perfect. Lanie sat in next to Elphaba, allowing her to braid her hair.<p>

"Did someone call for a best friend?" a perky voice exclaimed.

Lanie turned around and smiled at seeing Elisa standing a few feet away. She young princess jumped up and ran to her new friend.

"I've missed you," Lanie smiled, hugging Elisa. "How did you get here?"

"Them," Elisa smiled, pointing at her entourage of soldiers. "Anyway, I came to give you this." She motioned for one of the soldiers to come forward. The soldier came forward holding a box. Elisa took the box from him and opened it, revealing a large slate of copper.

"Is this…?" Lanie trailed off.

Elisa nodded. "Copper."

"But, how did you…?"

"It's not exactly rare in the Rose Kingdom," Elisa explained. "It's one of the most plentiful resources we have. I know it's extremely rare in this part of Oz, so I thought it would be a good gift to say thank you for all your help."

"Thank you," Lanie smiled.

Fiyero stepped forward and took the box, nodding to the young queen. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," Elisa smiled, nodding back to Fiyero.

"I have a surprise for you," Lanie smiled, squeezing Elisa's hands.

"Ooh! I love surprises! What is it?" Elisa asked excitedly.

"Follow me," Lanie said, leading Elisa into the castle. They went down to the cellar. Lanie stopped in front of a large treasure chest. Opening it, she pulled out a sparling jewel.

"A… diamond?" Elisa smiled, mesmerized by the shininess of the object.

Lanie nodded. "Since the Vinkus has a lot of diamonds, I thought it would be a nice gift for you."

"Thank you. I'll treasure it forever," Elisa smiled, taking the diamond from Lanie. "We'll be best friends forever, right?"

"Of course. Forever and ever," Lanie giggled, giving her friend one final hug. "Let's go before everyone starts to get worried about us."

"Agreed," Elisa nodded and followed Lanie back outside.

Once Elisa and Lanie returned outside, Lanie ran to her parents, who engulfed her in a loving hug. Galinda and Castie joined in. Elisa handed the diamond to one of the soldiers and ran towards the group hug. Lanie smiled as she looked around at her family.

"Everything is great. Everything is grand. I've got the whole wide world in the palm of my hand," Lanie giggled as she sang.

"Everything is perfect," Castie sang.

"It's falling into place," Fiyero sang.

"I can't seem to wipe this smile off my face," Galinda sang, a wide grin on her face.

"Life's a happy song," Elisa sang.

"When there's someone by your side," Elphaba sang, hugging her daughter closer.

"To sing along," Lanie finished the song, snuggling closer to her mother. She was happy again. She closed her eyes as she pictured the future of her family, all happily together. She loved it. She never wanted this moment to end.

It was the best moment of her life.

* * *

><p><strong>OMO, you guys! I won a Twitter competition for a signed flyer of Willemijn Verkaik from one of Willemijn's fan pages! I found out during my lunch period in school a few days ago! And then Willemijn retweeted the tweet I was mentioned in for the contest and I almost screamed! Almost, because I was in Chemistry class and I couldn't scream, especially since I sit in the front row. And what makes this even more special for me is that she was my very first Elphaba when I saw Wicked on Broadway on 33/13. She was phenomenal along with Alli Mauzey and Kyle Dean Massey.**

**I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart who favorited, followed, and reviewed this and the prequel "Seeing the Light". It means so much to me, considering the fact that I haven't been on this site a full year yet. There may be some one-shots that go along with this, so keep your eyes peeled! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH, and feel free to check out (favorite, follow, review, the whole nine yards) some of my other stories! My newest story is called "Trusting". Here's the summary:**

**_Elphaba Thropp was never good at making friends. She was always considered an outcast because of her green skin and blindness. She has never really trusted anyone outside her family, that is… until Galinda and Fiyero came into her life. Fiyeraba with lots of Fiyeraba fluff. (Romance/Friendship)_**

**^^ It would mean the world to me if you guys were to check it out and review it. All feedback (constructive or otherwise) is most appreciated. I want to become the best writer I can be.**

**Song Used:**

**"Life's a Happy Song" from The Muppets**


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